Pipevine Swallowtail and California Pipevine Original Painting

Battus philenor and Aristolochia californica

Acrylic on watercolor paper, 2012

11 x 11” framed; archival matboard, black metal frame

Pipevine swallowtails lay their eggs on the California pipevine; larvae eat the leaves, making them unpalatable and giving them life-long protection from predators. The butterflies often appear plain black in flight or on cloudy days, but in sunlight, the iridescent blue of their lower wings reveals itself. This painting is one in a series of insects and host plants.