For the first time since Hurricane Ian struck our area in September, the polydamas swallowtail has returned to the garden. She first caught my attention while I was in the kitchen, lulling me outside. There is something striking about a black butterfly with yellow markings on the bottom of the wing.

I tried to capture a photograph of her while she landed on my Dutchman pipe, but her wings never slowed down enough, staying in place long enough to capture her beauty. I was excited to see she left a few treasures behind on her host plant, the Dutchman pipe, which is flowering for the second time since I bought the plant more than two years ago.