Zebra Swallowtail

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly
12x12" Watercolor and music sheets on paper

Swallowtails are some of the prettiest butterflies, aren't they?  I mean, if I was a butterfly, I'd want to have those striking stripey wings!  What I love most about butterflies is that they defy science.  Honestly, I've watched butterfly documentaries, read books, studied diagrams, and science just simply can't explain what happens from caterpillar to butterfly.  There's no other word to describe them except miraculous.  It's like these tiny little beautiful miracles gracefully and quietly prove the hand of their Creator, just by stretching their wings out and flying.  It reminds me of this verse in Scripture:

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." -1 Corinthians 1:27

I've made my new Zebra Swallowtail painting available in my Etsy shop and have paired it up with the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (painted earlier this year).  Don't they make a lovely duo?

butterflies butterflies!

Purple Spotted Swallowtail Butterfly 20x20"
Original watercolor on paper, mounted

Graphium weiskei (Purple Spotted Swallowtail) are among my new favorite swallowtail butterflies.  Look at those beautiful wings and the stark black swooping tails!  This particular butterfly resides primarily in Papua New Guinea and Australia zones and has several brothers and sisters with slight color variations (see below).  The undersides are just as pretty, don't you think?  They are mirrow copies of the upsides, except in brown.

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In my search for references I stumbled upon an amazing Etsy seller who sells the real thing!  I've been wanting to start a little collection of my own and am leaning toward the sage and crimson (big surprise there)...

Which one is your favorite??