The New Jersey state butterfly, the Black Swallowtail.
I found this individual crawling across the deck one morning as I was headed off to work. Its wings wet and heavy, incapable of flight. As it had rained overnight I wasn't sure if it was newly emerged or rain-soaked. Either way the deck was not the place for it to be.
Black Swallowtails overwinter in their chrysalis and emerge in spring, thus this could have been a brand new butterfly. The males emerge before females and stake out territories to await the arrival of the ladies.
And thus the cycle continues.
I released the butterfly onto a Elderberry bush in our garden. After a moment it settled down, clinging to a leaf. Here's hoping it survived to fly another day.
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