It's nectar time

Crossing a small creek on a footbridge I came across this female spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus troilus) drinking nectar from plants growing along the shoreline. This type of swallowtail will consume nectar from milkweeds, but lays its eggs on spicebush and sassafras. Its range in Nebraska is generally limited to the southeast portion of the state. This was a rather skittish butterfly so I had to keep my distance to take the photo.

Nikon D7000 DSLR, Cambron 500mm lens, f/7.1, 1/4000th second, ISO 3200.

Cropped, sharpened.