Small Apollo Butterfly

The small apollo butterfly, described by entomologists as Parnassius phoebus, is a high ranging insect that frequents small brooks and riparian corridors in the mountains of western North America, Asia, and Europe. Due to environmental constraints, the small apollo butterfly must complete an entire generation in a very short period of time, generally from late June to late August. Highly fecund, adult females may lay as many as 1,000 eggs, but few of them will make it to maturity and successfully reproduce.