I took this injured butterfly away from my neighbors' black cat. First, I had tried to pick up the yellow swallowtail with a large leaf, followed by a piece of cardboard, and finally with my bare hands, all to no avail; the butterfly kept trying to get away from me. Then when I offered the swallowtail my outstretched open right hand, it instantly calmed down and walked onto it, settling on my wrist, where it remained for quite some time, until it eventually decided to stroll up my arm. Actually, I was able to move the butterfly easily from one hand to the other, as I observed it for approximately an hour while it recuperated from the traumatic experience of being wounded by a cat.Since I decided photos were in order, the butterfly and I went inside the house for my camera. Only Rebel noticed the butterfly on my hand, before we quickly went outside again. I know I took a risk in going indoors with my beautiful winged bracelet; if it had decided to flutter on my hand inside the house, I am certain at least one cat would have spotted it--and cats are quick, needless to say. But the butterfly seemed content to stay put on my hand, no matter where I went. So I sat back down on the deck, where I took yesterday's posted photo of the butterfly watching Harry Potter, who sat down next to us. By the way, the swallowtail seemed to get agitated when Harry first approached, but it calmed down when the disinterested cat walked past us. With great curiosity, I observed the butterfly watching the cat. This may sound odd, but I truly believe the butterfly felt safe on my hand.
I have always wondered how a butterfly would feel on one's hand, even though I have never had the desire to capture one of the delicate creatures with the fragile wings. Truth is, I did not think I would like the sensation of large insect legs moving around on my skin. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the butterfly's legs reminded me of cat whiskers against my skin.
Making a long story short, after it had recovered sufficiently, I put the yellow swallowtail on a tall, flowering woodland plant, where it stayed for a while. By evening, it had flown away, along with all the assorted butterflies which had visited my yard that day.
