Marigold Swallowtail

by Nava Thompson

Title

Marigold Swallowtail

Artist

Nava Thompson

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

(First Place Winner in Contest) A photo taken by Nava Jo Thompson of a black Swallowtail butterfly captured on bright Marigold. Butterfly spots reflecting the marigold's color. (First Place Winner in the Butterflies N Ladybugs contest)....................Black Swallowtail has a wingspan of 6.7 to 10 cm (2.7 to 4 in).The upper side of the male's wings is black. There are two rows of yellow spots along the edges of both wings. There is a small area of blue on the bottom wing between the two rows of yellow spots. On the bottom edge of the bottom wing, there is a red spot with a small black dot in the center. The upper side of the female's wings is black. There are two rows of light yellow spots along the edges of both wings. These spots are smaller than the male's. There is a large area of blue on the bottom wing between these two rows. The female also has the same red and black spot on the bottom wing as the male. The female mimics the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor). The underside of the wings is the same in both sexes. The top wing is black with two rows of yellow-orange spots. The bottom wing has two rows of orange spots with a blue area between them. Pharmacological effectsPlant pharmacological studies have suggested that Calendula extracts have anti-viral, anti-genotoxic, and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. In herbalism, Calendula in suspension or in tincture is used topically for acne, reducing inflammation, controlling bleeding, and soothing irritated tissue. There is limited evidence that Calendula cream or ointment is effective in treating radiation dermatitis.[8][9] In a randomized study of 254 radiation patients, topical application of 4% calendula ointment resulted in far fewer occurrences of Grade 2 or higher dermatitis than occurred in the group using trolamine. Calendula users also experienced less radiation-induced pain and fewer breaks in treatment. Calendula has been used traditionally for abdominal cramps and constipation. In experiments with rabbit jejunum the aqueous-ethanol extract of Calendula officinalis flowers was shown to have both spasmolytic and spasmogenic effects, thus providing a scientific rationale for this traditional use. An aqueous extract of Calendula officinalis obtained by a novel extraction method has demonstrated anti-tumor (cytotoxic) activity and immunomodulatory properties (lymphocyte activation) in vitro, as well as anti-tumor activity in mice.

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July 13th, 2012

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