no damage.. isnt his abdomen missing??? [if thats the right term for such???]

ken

No, it was just tucked behind his wings. I did turn him over but didn't take a picture of the other side. It does look like it is missing on the picture though doesn't it.

It looks a little discolored in patches on wings--how are the markings on the abdomen? OE maybe? Or pesticide?

I went back out to look at it closer yesterday (pic was from the 5th), but something had eaten a good chunk of it, so no abdomen left to examine anymore. When I first saw it, it was starting to dry out and get crispy. The abdomen was on the small side, held up at kind of an angle, and dried out looking. It didn't immediately strike me as OE with the blurry markings and such, but then again I don't have much experience with it to know for sure. The wing discoloration could just be from the elements, it was not a fresh death for sure. The fact that I have found bees like this as well makes me wonder it it is from pesticide of some sort. I don't use anything like that of course, but I do live in the burbs and less than a block away from a golf course...so I'm sure all "cides" are present.

A very sad ending, for a very beautiful butterfly.