My first encounter with this spectacular animal was in the fall some years ago when a neighbor spotted a bizarre mottled worm-like organism on his orange tree. We sequestered it into a small butterfly rearing enclosure for observation, with citrus leaves for food. It soon pupated into a chrysalis, but strangely enough didn’t emerge as this gorgeous creature—a giant swallowtail—until spring. We were reminded of a survival phenomenon called diapause where, like a bear hibernating through winter, butterflies can go into a period of suspended development to wait for more favorable weather. The giant swallowtail is the largest butterfly in North America with a wing span of five to six inches. Originally native to the south and eastern U.S., this species has inch-wormed and flown its way west over the past 50 years attracted to citrus plants, both commercial and domestic, as a caterpillar food source and is now well-established in Southern California, much to the dismay of citrus farmers who call them “orange dogs.� They remarkably resemble fresh bird droppings as a clever disguise to deter poop-adverse predators. Who would have suspected that such a spectacular gold-spangled beauty could come from fake bird crap? Such is the endlessly fascinating and beguiling world of butterflies.