Papilio machaon

Swallowtail - This beautiful butterfly became quite scarce in the UK after much of it's habitat was lost in the fenland areas of Britain. The subspecies in Britain is confined to the fenlands of Eastern England. Since the fenland management scheme in Norfolk the future of this fabulous butterfly is looking brighter. Some consider the swallowtail to be the most beautiful family of butterflies in the world! They are in the Papilionidae family which include over different 550 species of swallowtail. I came across this one in the Algarve at Praia Da Rocha and Vilamoura reed beds in Portugal.

John Foss Nature Photography Birds Wild Flowers Wildlife Butterflies Moths Greaghnafarna Ballinaglera Ireland Leitrim Derby England UK Algarve Portugal