The Blog has Wildlife, Plant and Bird Photos from Walks, Safaris, Birding Trips, Webcams and Vacations. The pictures have been taken with Nikon P900 and P950X cameras. Click on any image for a larger picture. On the right column under Blog Archive are the entries by date. Below under Animal categories all the different species of Animals, Birds, Insects and Plants in the website are listed. Clicking on any entry will show all the entries for that species. Info by Wikipedia.
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Saturday, 18 April 2026
18-4-2026 RIO SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
4-6-2025 POTRIES, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (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 (it is the only swallowtail in most of Europe) and in North America.
This species is named after Machaon (Ancient Greek: Μαχάων, romanized: Makháōn) a figure in Greek mythology. He was a son of Asclepius.
This butterfly is present throughout the entire Palearctic region, ranging from Russia to China and Japan, (including the Himalayas and Taiwan), and across into Alaska, Canada, and the United States, and thus, is not restricted to the Old World, despite the common name. In Asia, it is reported as far south as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the high mountains of Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Israel. In southern Asia, it occurs in Pakistan and Kashmir, northern India (Sikkim, to Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal, Bhutan, and northern Myanmar.
This butterfly is widespread in Europe. In the United Kingdom, it is limited to a few areas in the Norfolk Broads of East Anglia. It is the UK's largest resident butterfly. The monarch (Danaus plexippus) is slightly larger, but is only a rare vagrant.
As P. machaon is widespread throughout Eurasia and often common, it is not threatened as a species. It is listed as "vulnerable" in the South Korean and Austrian Red Data Books, and in the Red Data Book of the former Soviet Union. In Armenia the species demonstrates stable population trend and is assessed as Least Concern.
In some countries, P. machaon and its subspecies are protected by law. Papilio machaon machaon is protected by law in six provinces of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. The species is protected in the United Kingdom, and subspecies verityi is protected in India.
The butterfly has a strong and fast flight, but frequently pauses to hover over flowering herbs and sip nectar. It frequents alpine meadows and hillsides, and males are fond of 'hilltopping', congregating near summits to compete for passing females. At lower elevations, it can be seen visiting gardens.
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
27-5-2025 POTRIES, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
20-9-2023 LAGUNA DE SILLA, ALBUFERA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (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 (it is the only swallowtail in most of Europe) and in North America.
This species is named after Machaon (Ancient Greek: Μαχάων, romanized: Makháōn) a figure in Greek mythology. He was a son of Asclepius.
Monday, 24 April 2023
24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY
Monday, 10 April 2023
Monday, 20 June 2022
Monday, 6 June 2022
Monday, 7 February 2022
Monday, 1 November 2021
1-11-2021 LLUXENT, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)
Monday, 27 September 2021
27-9-2021 ADOR CAMPO, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)
Thursday, 22 July 2021
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
31-5-2021 PERALVILLO, LA MANCHA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)
There are usually two to three broods in a year, but in northern areas, the species may be univoltine. In some places such as the UK, some will pupate and emerge in the same year and others will overwinter as pupae before emerging the following year, a situation known as being partially bivoltine.










































