Richmond Birdwing

It's been over a week without any rain so this morning to mark the first day of March I spent several hours watering all our plantings. While I was down in the rainfores garden at our gate I was lucky enough to see my first Richmond Birdwing butterfly. This species was once quite common but has declined in numbers over the past few decades. We are going to plant a few of the vine that its caterpillars eat so Maryville can be a sanctuary to these guys. Really very pretty.