This afternoon as usual I went into my backyard to take pictures of my agapanthus.

The heat has been a little hard on the grass in the back yard and also the agapanthus, so yesterday I added a little more time to the backyard sprinkler zones.

While taking pictures I caught some motion out of the corner of my eye and notice a big butterfly flitting around. I tried to capture a picture of it in flight, but without much success. You can see it near the center of this picture.

The butterfly soon came to visit the agapanthus and I was able to get a few pictures.

The butterfly was a western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus).

Here is another view with the wings open.

I was hoping the butterfly would stay around for awhile and let me get more pictures, but it soon flew up and over the neighbors house and I did not see it again.

Perhaps it will be back and I will have good timing again to be there to take pictures.

Steven