William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News

Gloucester City, NJ (August 30, 2026)(CNBnews)-Our photo of the day is a butterfly. The butterfly that we saw is on the left. The image on the right was taken from the poster below, “Butterflys of New Jersey

Early Sunday morning around 7 AM I walked Sweetie to our backyard. As we were coming up our steps, I saw a funny shape that looked like it was alive. But it was hard to distinguish what it was. Walking slowly up the steps, I could see it was a butterfly as it spread its wings. The delicate movements of its wings caught my eye, creating a mesmerizing dance in the morning light. While I was filming it, Sweetie came running up the steps, filled with excitement, and the butterfly took off, landing gracefully on the side of our house. It stayed there for a minute, seemingly unbothered, allowing me to appreciate its beauty before it flew away into the vast sky. Doesn’t it look like it has two heads?

This encounter brought back a profound memory of my brother, George. He said on his deathbed in 2014 that he would be back one day as a butterfly. His words resonated with me, as they combined both humor and a sense of hope. He also mentioned that he buried his gold coin collection somewhere behind his old house on Broadway, a little secret he held close. Up until his last breath, he maintained his playful spirit, joking around as he drifted in and out of a deep sleep. I often reflect on those moments and hope I can do the same when my turn comes up, facing the end with laughter and grace.

Intrigued by the butterfly I had seen, I decided to conduct a Google search to try and find out what kind it was. A couple of images caught my attention, showcasing some of the same blue coloring that is shown in the butterfly we saw, which also had some orange coloring. But, they were not a perfect match. The reason for that could be that this butterfly wasn’t fully grown. The variety in butterfly species is astounding, and it felt like a small puzzle I wanted to solve. If anyone knows what type it is, please comment below; I’m eager to learn more about the beautiful creatures that share our world.

The closest that I found was the The spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is a common black butterfly native to North America, famous for its unique caterpillar stages and mimicry defense mechanisms. [1, 2]

Appearance and Identification

Adults: Black or dark charcoal wings with a wingspan of 3 to 4 inches. The hind wings feature prominent pale blue or green patches and orange spots. Females often show a brighter blue wash on their upper wings.

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