“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Muhammad Ali (US Boxer, 1942-2016)
Insecta - Lepidoptera - Papilionidae - Papilio
Swallowtail
(Papilio machaon)

Papilio machaon, the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this species was the first to be given the name). It is the type species of the genus Papilio. This widespread species is found in much of the Palearctic and in North America. It usually can be seen from April to September in gardens, fields and open spaces...
Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Clade: Pancrustacea
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Papilionidae
- Genus: Papilio
- Species: P. machaon
Binomial name: Papilio machaon (Linnaeus, 1758)
If you want to see more images of this butterfly have a look at the gallery on my Nature Galleries page or click on the button below...