Paul Connor (Rhode Island, 20th C) "Swallowtail Butterfly" Signed lower left. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood Proofcard for the U.S. 13c Swallowtail Butterfly stamp issued June 6, 1977.

There is probably no other family of butterflies as familiar to everyone as the Swallowtails. This family includes many of the largest and most beautifully colored American butterflies. Most of the five hundred species of Swallowtails are found in the tropics and the Birdwing Swallowtails, from tropical Australia, are among the biggest butterflies in the world. There are two notable differences between Papilio oregonius and the common Swallowtail, Papilio machaon. The eye-like spot on the front of each wing, about 3mm in diameter on the P. machaon, is reduced to almost a dot on the P. oregonius; the bright yellow bands parallel to the thorax, crossing the wing bases on the P. oregonius, are much duller on the thorax of P. machaon. The Papilio oregonius is probably a descendant of varieties found in South America. Its establishment in the Pacific Northwest was aided by the warming produced by the California current which is unusual at latitudes that high. The Oregon Swallowtail reproduces twice a year, and can be seen on the wing from April to September in the Northwest. Those seen early in the year are generally lighter in color than those seen later and blend well with the color of early plants. The distribution of Papilio oregonius is from southern British Columbia, eastern Washington and Oregon, to Idaho and western Montana.

Image Size: 16 x 17 in.
Overall Framed Size: 22.25 x 23.25 in.
Framed behind plexiglass. (B05186)

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22.25 x 23.25 in