Beauty and the Buttonbush

Photo by Ned Harris

The Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is an insect (but not a true bug) in the order Lepidoptera, family Papilionidae. As caterpillars (i.e., larvae), these are seriously ugly critters. What a transformation! The Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is neither an insect (whoo hoo!) nor a button; but its bark is worse than its bite. It's poisonous.