Flutter away

Last year I was sitting in the park, enjoying a lovely afternoon, when something black flew right past my face.  I jumped back in surprise and tried to follow it with my eyes.  The wingspan was wider than the width of my hand.  I immediately thought it was a very confused bat.  And then I realized it would have been a rabid bat. 

Once my mind really got going I mentioned it to a park mom.  She laughed and told me, "That was a butterfly.  There are lots of them around here." 

Since that informative talk, I have been on the hunt to get a better view of this fast butterfly, named onaga ageha (also known as long-tail spangle swallowtail).  I would see them often during the heat of summer, but they never stuck around long enough for me to take a photo.  Every time I saw one my heart would pound a little faster and I'd reach for my phone just to watch it flutter away.

When we saw one at the park this weekend, my husband and I both reached for our phones and started clicking.  We were so excited when we actually captured it on film.  We took as many as we could as it fluttered around a tall, pink Hibiscus syriacus (also known as Rose of Sharon).

Later in the day, we checked our phones to see who got the best photo.  Our son was very eager to look at the photos.  He wanted to look the butterfly up in his bug book.  He zoomed in on each photo.  Suddenly he gasped and then squealed with delight. 

In the background, hidden behind a flower was a praying mantis.  We had no idea it was there, but he found it in the photo.  It was an extra fascinating find.  I only saw praying mantis' at the zoo when I was a kid, so every time I see one here it is extra thrilling for me.  Since my son has a praying mantis in his classroom that he often watches eat live crickets, he knew exactly what could have happened.

Having the photo feels like mission accomplished with a bonus.