Canadian tiger swallowtail lands in my back yard

I caught a rare close-up video glimpse of a beautiful but aging Canadian tiger swallowtail butterfly, which landed on Ann's potted geraniums and voraciously grazed for nectar (June 27, 2009).

The tiger, with a wingspan between three and four inches, then hopped to the pansies. 

They are lighter yellow than their larger Southern California cousins, which I used to chase down the streets of San Diego as a kid. 

This tiger's tails were nearly worn off, no doubt from many miles aflutter.

They are typically spotted on Olympic Discovery Trail between Siebert and Morse creeks and grow from eggs laid on willow leaves that grow into larger greenish caterpillars, then to the chrysalis state, then hatch as butterflies.

Some research on the Web turned up some interesting facts about this lovely creature: 

• It is the state insect of Oregon, the state butterfly of Georgia (eastern swallowtail). 

• The eastern species is the state insect of Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina and Delaware. 

• The Western tiger swallowtail migrates south from Canada to Mexico, much like the monarch.

One stop, two shellfish dinners

A state Fish and Wildlife shellfish/seaweed license, a recycled bucket, a rusty clam shovel and rubber boots gets you two dinners on the North Olympic Peninsula.

I reminded myself of that in late May, digging clams and shucking oysters on the state park shoreline at Sequim Bay, off Highway 101 between Sequim and Blyn.

The oysters were easy pickings in patch west of the park's boat ramp. The clams just east of the ramp.

I got there just before the crowd hit the beach during the last low tide in May.

In short, I dug 40 native Little Necks and Manilas, waded into the water ankle deep and rinsed the sand off the shells, leaving about six inches of sea water in the bucket to let the clams purge the remaining sand from their bivalves overnight.

I barbecued the oysters in some old shells I keep around at home because you have to cast your shucked shells back on the beach so oyster seeds on them can grow. That's the law and not a bad idea if you want to sustain oyster populations.

I  place a dab of butter on each oyster, pressing some fresh garlic on top and Q-ing them over some coals for about 20 minutes until they are curling but not too dry.

Some use barbecue sauce or port to add flavor. To each his or her own.

When it heats up on the beach, I recommend against slamming oysters raw on the beach. Vibrio fibrosis, caused by exposed oysters warmed in the sun, will make you deathly ill.  In short, be careful.

The oysters made dinner Saturday night. We devoured the clams on Sunday, first rinsing them off, then simply steaming them until the shells pop open.

Some melt a little butter in a bowl to dip them in but others just enjoy tasting the essence of the sea.

 

Digging clams at Sequim Bay State Park