Swallowtail butterfly couple on Himalayan meadow in Uttarakhand

From the archive record

A close-up look at a pair of Lime butterflies mud puddling. The Swallowtail is our largest native butterfly, and also one of our rarest. This spectacular insect is our only resident butterfly of the Papilionidae family, which is one of the largest butterfly families in the world. Swallowtails differ from all other butterflies in a number of anatomical traits. Most notably, their caterpillars possess a unique organ behind their heads, called the osmeterium. Normally hidden, this forked structure can be everted when the caterpillar is threatened, and emits smelly secretions containing terpenes. The adults are often tailed like the forked tail of some swallows, giving the insect its name. Sources- http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=machaon , https://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.or