106 
THE PARSLEY BUTTERFLY. 
(Papilio asterias Fabr. ) 
Among the many beautiful butterflies none are perhaps bet- 
ter known than the swallow-tails. Some of them, as far as 
beauty is concerned, well deserve the poetical name of ‘‘winged 
flowers.” Swallow-tails contain the largest butterflies found 
in Minnesota, and there are few people who have not admired 
their graceful and stately flight. All these butterflies are 
themselves perfectly harmless, as they sip only the sweet nec- 
tar from the flowers, and as they fly from flower to flower they 
are important agents in cross-fertilizing them, Of the three 
species of swallow- tails found in Minnesota only one is common 
in our gardens, but this one causes more or less injury to nearly 
all plants belonging to the family cf umbeliferze. This swallow- 
tail butterfly is distinguished from the two other kinds by its 
black color. The sexes differ greatly. The male is distin- 
guished by having two bands of sulphur-yellow crossing the 
wings as shown in the illustration, Fig. 55, Plate 12. Between 
these yellow bands of the hind wings are a number of faint 
spots of steel-blue color. At the inner angle of the hind wings 
is an eye spot surrounded by red. The abdomen of the male, 
like that of the female, is spotted with two rows of yellow spots 
on each side. The female has rows of smaller spots on the 
wings, but the steel-blue spots on the hind wings are very 
much larger than in the male. The under side of both sexes 
is Similar and is distinguished from the upper side by having 
rows of orange instead of yellow spots. The illustration 
shows the markings much better than a description. 
The first brood, or spring brood, of the parsley butterfly 
issues about the time that the carrot-leaves appear above the 
ground. The butterflies, after chasing each other for some- 
time, and showing their beauty by fully expanding their 
wings while resting upon the foliage, mate, and soon after- 
ward the female is busily engaged in searching for the 
proper food for her progeny. At this time the leaves of the 
carrots, dill and some wild species of umbelliferous plants 
are selected. Gracefully resting upon a leaf she bends the 
abdomen in such a way as to glue a single egg upon or 
below the leaf near its tip. After a short flight another egg is 
