Female Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly
09 August 2014 -- 221/365
North Providence, Rhode Island
This female Eastern Swallowtail was frequenting the butterfly bushes in my backyard up until about a week ago. When she reappeared today, I decided to take the photo while I had the opportunity. The Eastern Swallowtail is a very common butterfly from Vermont to Maine, although they typically frequent woodlands and meadows, not backyards. The color version of this photo (which will be posted) distinctly shows the blue markings on her tail that differentiate the two sexes.
Post processing started with a neutral filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
