When a tiger meets a Tithonia, or a Tithonia meets a tiger, Nature bursts forth in all its glory.

Such was the case when we spotted a Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, foraging for nectar on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.

It was a newly eclosed swallowtail in perfect form, devoid of ripped, stripped and shattered wings signifying non-successful predatory attempts. 

The magnificent butterfly fluttered over the Tithonia, sometimes chased by a territorial longhorned bee. But still it cruised. It raced. It soared. 

Spread your wings, little tiger. You have no claws, but you need not pause. The Tithonia, the touchdown, the nectar--they're all yours for the taking. 

(Taken with a Nikon D500 with a 200mm lens. Settings: Shutter priority, 1/4000 of a second; f-stop, 6.3; and ISO 800.)