Many of the large swallowtails when they nectar they flutter, that keeps them more stationary.

Here is a link that might be useful: Identify Butterflies by color and shape, and whether they hold their wings opened or closed.

Can you draw a picture? Just kidding....I couldn't resist!

-Elisabeth

Elisabeth,

I wish I could! I'm so mad at myself that I didn't get a picture or at least look closer. I figured he would return, but I haven't seen him.

Bev

Draw, scan, post, she wasn't kidding...

Click to see the picture: See how the upper wings are moving and the lower wings are still.

The largest black swallowtails in my area would be either the black form of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail or a Giant Swallowtail. Giant Swallowtails have quite a bit of yellow on them so if you didn't notice any yellow, it might be the first one.

Hope you see it again when you have your camera handy. I try to keep mine with me because it seems like if I go out without it, that's when the best butterflies show up. lol

Runmede - I have never seen that website and have tried to find one with side by side photos like that. Thank you!

Black swallowtails are small as swallowtails go, spicebush swallowtails are pretty big, but not overwhelmingly so, but black form female tiger swallowtails are indeed huge, bigger than most giant swallowtails, the biggest butterfly I ever see. I feel sure a black female tiger swallowtail is what you saw. Here's one I raised myself several years ago, with her wings spread out on the paper towel where you can see all the details -
{{gwi:513298}}
And here's another one -
{{gwi:504976}}
Sherry

Runmede, that's exactly what it looked like - not the coloring, I couldn't see that with the angle of the sun - but the hindwings hanging down. However, that was how it flew around, it never lifted the wings up. Thanks for finding that photo.

Was it flying fast? If it flew fast, it could be a Pipevine Swallowtail.

It was flying slow. Almost as if it was too heavy to fly easily.

Sounds more like a Black Form Tiger. Probably like the one that misssherry posted.

Could it be two butterflies mating in flight?

Fun to guess maybe, but since Papilio individuals fall within a size range for any species, it is pretty much impossible to say which species you saw from the information given. Could have been an individual anywhere between the low or high end of the size range of any species. So it's possible for adults in any of your species to be the exact same size.

If the top end of size ranges are considered, size wise Papilio cresphontes is the largest Palilionidae in your area. But as Christie pointed out this is not what would be termed a black species. Your largest "black" species is Papilio glaucus, followed in turn by Battus philinor, Paipilio polyxenes and Papilio triolus.

Pictures or if you could note characteristics a give a better description would probably solve the puzzle.

Larry

Bev - When I clicked on your other thread "One thing I have learned this year", it just says missing file.