On Monday, I went out to see how my potatoes in a barrel were doing. I buried the green sprouts a week ago and wanted to see how many had resurfaced. Right there is the barrel was the most beautiful butterfly.

It was a Pale Tiger Swallowtail. Hopefully it wasn't laying eggs so that its large green larva could devour my potato plants. I'll have to keep an eye out for that, but it's young are supposed to like the foliage of woody plants.

I have lots of books and guides about nature up at the cabin. One I really like for insects is Insects of the Pacific Northwest by Peter and Judy Haggard. The photographs make identifications much easier than illustrations. A good reference website is BugGuide.Net. It includes "insects, spiders and their kin" from the US and Canada. There's even an active forum where you can connect with other bug lovers or get assistance with a tricky identification. -- Margy