Anise swallowtails’ (Papilio zelicaon) yellow-and-black wings stand out in their natural habitat and make them conspicuous to both people and predators. While many people think anise swallowtails are gorgeous, these high contrast wings send a message to predators: “Don’t eat me, I’m poisonous!”

Sketch contributed by Hee Jin Chung. Fact contributed by Allison Lau.

[Edited by Allison Lau]

Source: Layberry, R., Hall, P., & Lafontaine, D. (2017). Family Papilionidae. In The Butterflies of Canada (pp. 77-90). University of Toronto Press.