There were a great many Red Admiral butterflies along the Yanaguana Nature Trail. They are the butterflies in the photos I posted yesterday. However, near the end of my walk, I was delighted to happen across a Pipevine Swallowtail, or at least that is what I am fairly certain it is.
There are several butterflies that closely mimic the pipevine swallowtail. Like the monarch butterfly, the pipevine swallowtail are toxic to their predators. Other butterfly species that are not toxic mimic the appearance of the toxic ones to avoid predators. From everything I can determine, this is in fact a pipevine swallowtail.
This magnificent butterfly was feasting on the nectar of the abundant mountain laurel flowers:
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