Hi Greenjewels...Sounds like a Swallowtail from your description....Beyond that without a Pic, difficult to be certain?? Was is the same size as the Monarch?? or a tad smaller??
Here are a few possibilities...Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger...Pipevine Swallowtail has orange spots on the underside of the hindwings?? Dark Phase female (Not as Likely). Check those out on line and see if photos look similar??

Cheers! mikem58

hmmm. should have read..Eastern Tiger Swallowtail dark color phase female (not as likely) and then Pipevine Swallowtail which has orange spots on the underside of it's hindwings. My money would be on a Black Swallowtail if I had to bet...JMO

Cheers!

Sounds like a black swallowtail. Here is a picture.

{{gwi:540351}}

Thanks. I checked out the BF's suggested and I THINK it was a Pipevine Swallowtail. Wish it was still around so I could compare it to the pic. Next on my list is a good butterfly book. I believe one I saw recommended was Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David Wagner. I'm assuming it has pics of BFs, not just the cats. Any other suggestions?

That is a great book. I just got one this summer and it's been invaluable at identifying cats.

You probably did see a Pipevine. Were the wings closed? Normally pipevine wings are moving super fast or are closed so you don't often see the upper wing surface. But when you get a glimpse of a male in flight or nectaring, the wings have iridescent blue--absolutely gorgeous!

I am sending you a picture that a friend's husband took recently in Tennessee. This is a stunning picture of a pipevine. My friend added the words. She wanted me to ID the BF.

{{gwi:540352}}

You can see the orange on the wings, and the iridescence also.

Sandy

Greenjewels, Caterpillars of Eastern North American doesn't have all the butterflies or their caterpillars - many are missing. Most of the caterpillars in the book are moth cats, which is good, because it's the only book you can use to ID many moths.
The best butterfly ID book is, in my opinion, Butterflies of North America by Brock and Kaufman - it shows all our butterflies, and makes it easy to see the identifying marks. Another good book for beginners is The Life Cycles of Butterflies by Burris and Richards - it shows the egg, a caterpillar, the chrysalid and the adult version of the most common eastern butterflies, and the pictures are wonderful.
MissSherry

It definitely was a Pipevine Swallowtail. Had one in yard today and was able to get a close look--although it didn't linger long in one place like the monarch does. I remembered that my Birds and Blooms books also have BF pics and with that and my binoculars I was able to make a positive ID. I also had a Red Admiral earlier today and yesterday a Painted Lady!! Can you tell I am excited?!!!

Also, thanks Misssherry for recommending the books. I found both at Barnes and Nobles and decided on the Lifecycles of BF by Burris and Richards. Loved the other one and it's on my list for next time. (Might have gotten a better price at Amazon but couldn't wait!) Then I'll have to have the David Wagner book, I'm sure!

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

You're welcome, greenjewels!
And don't forget to watch out for white peacocks! :)
MissSherry

I definitely have my eye out for the white peacock. I have a huge full page picture in one of my Birds & Blooms books so if he comes in my yard, I think I'll know!

Hi Greenjewels, I'm so happy you bought my book, "The Life Cycles of Butterflies"! (And thank you again Miss Sherry for recommending it!!) I do hope you are enjoying it. If you get the chance, please visit my website for a ton of pictures and more life cycles. Happy gardening!

Judy Burris
www.ButterflyNature.com

Judy, I love the book! It's exactly what I needed to get me going on this wonderful new hobby. So much great info and the pictures are beautiful. For the first time ever, I had 3 Gulf Fritillaries nectaring on my lantana today! I was able to identify them with "THE LIFE CYCLES OF BUTTERFLIES". Thanks for such a fantastic book!

We recommend Judy and Wayne's book a lot on the forum because it gives you the range of growth that no other book does....from what the eggs look like to the caterpillar in early instar and then later instar, the chrysalis, and finally the butterfly. They also provide you with lists of host plants and nectar plants and photos of them to boot! I love the Life Cycle of Butterflies! It sits on my nightstand and I read it almost daily.

Susan

I have seen so many posts about this book and Judy Burris, I finally just ordered a hardcover version of it. Cannot have too many butterfly books, right? ;)

KC

And yes, I'm digging through old posts. I'm just chomping at the bit for moth/butterfly season to get here.