Dead Swallowtail!

[NickMorgan]

A good friend in Philadelphia has just sent me these pictures of a butterfly he found dead on his flat roof! It looks in remarkably good condition for a butterfly that has died. Has anyone got any idea why it would have died? I am guessing that it is a Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus?

photo53.jpg (42.97 KiB) Viewed 955 times

photo52.jpg (41.95 KiB) Viewed 955 times

[P.J.Underwood]

Here is another picture of a dead Swallowtail.It was dead at the roadside near the Maison de Nature in the Brenne,France.It had obviously been hit by a car.
P.J.U.

[NickMorgan]

Although my friend is a classic car enthusiast, the butterfly was spotted from a first floor window on a flat roof. I was thinking that I have never found a dead butterfly in good condition like that, other than at the side of the road. I wonder if it could be insecticide that caused its death.

[David M]

I have never found dead butterflies so intact in the UK, but I have encountered several in such a state alongside roads in France, which leads me to believe that they are regularly killed as a result of contact with vehicles whilst basking on hot road surfaces in those countries where temperatures are sufficiently high to attract large numbers of butterflies to run the gauntlet of settling on roads whilst vehicles drive over them at high speed.

These butterflies don't actually get run over by the wheels of the vehicle, but the sheer stress of the air turbulence is enough to squeeze the life out of them which is why they appear to be otherwise uninjured.

[Susie]

How's this for an idea; in a country where weather conditions are neither wet nor windy the butterflies do not suffer the same sort of trauma to their wings as ours do and so their "battery life" conks out before their "body work" does.

[NickMorgan]

I suppose that is quite likely. There must be so much chance in where the butterflies end up and what they encounter that some must go through life relatively unscathed. I suppose that a large swallowtail is probably less likely to be pecked by a bird, too.

[Susie]

It would seem logical to me.

[Padfield]

When butterflies die, their wings normally tend to fold beneath them. If a large butterfly like a swallowtail died while sitting on a roof in a normal resting position, perhaps its wings would open and then be stopped from opening any further by the weight of the butterfly. Butterflies dazed by a car usually go to rest in the sitting position. Maybe a large vehicle, like a lorry, dazed this swallowtail and the airflow lifted it up so it landed on the roof, where the heat proved too much for it while it recovered.

A Susie says, butterflies must eventually 'run out of batteries' even if their bodywork is still in good condition - but isn't it surprising how few dead butterflies we find? The puzzle here (which I suspect will never be solved) must be how an exhausted butterfly ended up dying in such an elevated, exposed place. Experience suggests they normally die out of sight, among vegetation, as we so rarely find them.

Guy

[David M]

isn't it surprising how few dead butterflies we find?

You could apply that to other creatures as well.

In all my life I've only ever come across one dead bird (other than those that had been killed by the roadside).

[Susie]

I have quite a sensative sense of smell and often smell dead animals when i'm out walking. They tend to limp off into vegetation which is out of the way before dying.

[ChrisC]

I was once sent a swallowtail from cyprus in pristine condition, it had been found in the swimming pool, and knowing some flat roofs can collect water .... maybe.......

[NickMorgan]

My friend is keen to preserve this swallowtail. He has asked me what would be the best way to do this. I thought that if it was just dried out and pinned onto a board it would be fine, but he is asking if there is something he should spray it with to help it stay intact?

[Padfield]

When I was a child I preserved many butterflies I had found dead and they are all still in good condition. I even have a southern white admiral my sister found dead in Greece (on her honeymoon), which I set long after it had dried, and which is still perfect.

The books I had suggested using relaxing fluid to restore flexibility to the butterfly. I didn't have any so I put the butterflies in a box, on a layer of card, under which I put wet cotton wool (EDIT - no - now I remember, I put them on the card, on wet cotton wool, in a closed jar, so the air would get really humid). I then left this set up on the radiator for a bit (I can't remember how long, to be honest). I'm sure relaxing fluid is better - someone can advise what to use.

I made setting boards from corrugated cardboard, sticking two broad strips on a lower board, leaving a gap between for the abdomen. I then pinned the relaxed butterflies on my setting board, securing the wings flat with strips of greaseproof paper. Next, I moved the wings into the display position, pushing against veins near the abdomen with pins. This is rather delicate, as you don't want to tear the wings, but I managed it as a child, so it should be trivial for a careful adult. The friction of the greaseproof paper helped, and when each wing was in the right position I pushed pins through the paper (not through the wing!) to prevent it slipping back.

When the butterfly was properly set, I placed my board on the radiator again and left it there until the butterfly was dry.

I stored my butterflies in Christmas card boxes with clear plastic tops, sellotaping a sachet of silica gel (like the ones that come with binoculars or packets of nori) into the box. Then I sealed the boxes with sellotape and kept them. Now, over forty years later in some cases, I still have them and they are still mostly intact!

In short, a child can easily set and preserve butterflies with no dedicated equipment at all. If your friend wants to spend a little money on the right stuff he could do it much better!

Guy

PS - Here is a black swallowtail I found as a road casualty in America in 1978 and set after I got back from my holiday using the method above. I photographed it in 2007 to test my new camera! That's nearly 30 years in a Christmas card box and it's still holding its position (though it has got rather dusty). The small copper below was found dead in the UK the same year (probably).



And this is that southern white admiral, which my sister brought back in her handbag, its wings folded up beneath it. One hindwing seems to have slipped above a forewing but otherwise it's as good as when I set it. Sadly, it has outlived her marriage...

[David M]

You're bringing back my own childhood memories here, Guy.

I used to buy killing fluid AND relaxing fluid from Watkins & Doncaster and still have the setting boards used to dry the specimens. I used to put them in the airing cupboard and my mum never scolded me (I think she was quite impressed with the finished result although she never said so).

Photography wasn't an option back then but thank God for digital technology. These days, you can take hundreds of photos without any undue expense. Those that aren't up to the mark you simply delete.

[NickMorgan]

Thanks Guy. I will pass on your message to my friend.
Nick

[JKT]

A couple of things to remember when relaxing samples: Too long exposure to high humidity will produce mold and/or grease the sample. A drop of Thymol will prevent the first problem. I prefer short exposure to humidity and a very small amount of 10% ammonium hydroxide (215-647-6) injected into the body. You need a very small syringe... It doesn't seem to work too well on whites, though - they tend to turn yellowish. With blues the shine is easily damaged by too much humidity and AFAIK there's no way to fix that.

The radiator may work well to speed up drying. You just have to make sure the temperature doesn't reach 40C.