Scene around A-Town: lots of butterflies

Tiger swallowtail

Have you seen all the butterflies around here? “This has been a banner year for the tiger swallowtail, the state insect,” says naturalist Suzanne Holland of Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. “It is not unusual to have many nectaring this time of year. They are a welcomed addition to backyards everywhere.”

The tiger swallowtail also has a black phase, and there are other swallowtails here, too, including the black swallowtail and spicebush swallowtail, Holland says. They spend the winter here as chrysalises.