Is this a Papilio machaon on an inflorescence of Buddleja davidii? I'm not sure, but where in the world did you establish your residence, Gary? It seems to me that in that part of the world there are many beautiful presences.
No, this is a
Papilio rufus, AKA Western Tiger Swallowtail.
Yes, the inflo is from a
Buddleja davidii ... AKA a Butterfly Bush.
Gianluca, I am in California.
We, my much better half and I, along with our faithful Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, tend to live in the backyard (the house is a piece of crap ... but the back is extremely nice and will bring a sense of satisfaction to all your senses). Today it was 72F/22C).
The front is 75% succulents. SoCal is classified as a Semi-Arrid Desert and we're under voluntary water restrictions ... so the water I save from the front I use to making the back verdant.
and when it rains in winter ...
I get tons of Nasturtiums ...
and California Golden Poppies.
California is incredibly beautiful and diverse. I live in SoCal, 20+ minutes from the Pacific and 45+ minutes from the San Gabriel Mountains 90+ minutes from the Mojave Desert and 30 minutes from Hollywood.
In winter, I can snow ski in the morning, surf in the afternoon and dinner at a 5 Star eatery in Beverly Hills. (The local mountains are only 10,000 feet high, but you can ski.)
I've lived and worked in many countries/continents but I keep returning home to California, my birthplace.
PS- The abundance of California are well known, but ... California has the highest peak in the Continental United States, Mt. Whitney. From Mt. Whitney you can look down to the lowest place in North America, Death Valley. California has glaciers in its Sierra Nevada mountain and hours away sits the hottest place on earth, Death Valley. World class cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to some of the world best universities (if not the best) in Stanford, Berkley, Cal Tech (to name a few of the exceptional). The world's largest trees resides in California's forrests (Sequoias) as do the world's oldest trees (Bristlecone Pine). The world largest animal swims off California's coasts (Blue Whale) and arguably the world's most beautiful road/drive is California's Highway 1 (along the California coast) and the most beautiful spot in the world is California's Yosemite Valley.
All photos per the iPhone.
(PS- I appreciate your identification via scientific name.
)
