Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, 1758
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Male is yellow with dark tiger stripes. Female has 2 forms: one yellow like the male and the other black with shadows of dark stripes. Hindwing of both female forms has a row of striking blue chevrons and an iridescent blue wash over parts of the interior hindwing. The upperside hindwing has a prominent orange marginal spot that is generally larger than the row of pale marginal spots. On the underside of forewing of spring individuals the row of marginal spots may be merged into a continuous band, thus appearing similar to the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches (6.2 - 11.4 cm).
Life History: Two broods in the north, three in the south. Males patrol for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host leaves. Caterpillars eat leaves and rest on silken mats on the upper surface of leaves. Chrysalids overwinter.
Flight: 3 flights from February-November in Deep South; 2 flights from May-September in north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of various plants including wild cherry (Prunus), sweetbay (Magnolia), basswood (Tilia), tulip tree (Liriodendron), birch (Betula), ash (Fraxinus), cottonwood (Populus), mountain ash (Sorbus), and willow (Salix).
Adult Food: Nectar of flowers from a variety of plants including wild cherry and lilac (Syringa vulgaris). Milkweed (Asclepias) and Joe-Pye Weed [Eupatorium] are favorites in summer.
Habitat: Deciduous broadleaf woods, forest edges, river valleys, parks, and suburbs.
Range: Eastern North America from Ontario south to Gulf coast, west to Colorado plains and central Texas.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
Comments: NULL
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 13331 verified sightings
Observation date: May 19, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Apr 06, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: James City County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 04, 2023
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: James City County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2023
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2023
Submitted by: Lhorner
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 15, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 12, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Apr 08, 2024
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Apr 13, 2024
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: May 17, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 20, 2024
Observation date: May 18, 2024
Submitted by: sasd
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 18, 2024
Observation date: May 14, 2024
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 17, 2024
Observation date: May 07, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 16, 2024
Observation date: Apr 28, 2024
Submitted by: Bluemyst
Region: Creek County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: May 13, 2024
Observation date: Apr 22, 2024
Submitted by: mikeminium
Region: Ross County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 07, 2024
Observation date: May 03, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 04, 2024
Observation date: May 02, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 02, 2024
Observation date: Apr 29, 2024
Submitted by: MSEmbeck
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 02, 2024
Observation date: May 01, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 01, 2024
- 1 of 556
- next ›