I am beyond thrilled to begin raising the pipevine swallowtail from egg. I planted the birthwort, its host plant, in my garden almost two years ago and have never been able to attract this butterfly. It came to my attention earlier this week that the Butterfly Estates has an abundance of eggs after a conversation with the curator for an article I am writing. So, this morning, I made my way to Downtown Fort Myers. There were so many pipevine swallowtails flying around the 3,600 square foot glass butterfly conservatory. I even had the opportunity to take home the eggs that I witnessed the female pipevine swallowtail laying.

I cannot wait to learn more about this species whose wingspan range from 2 3/4 to 5 inches, as I watch them grow from egg to butterfly. I have both the male (blue hindwings) and female (black wings with spots) photographed below.