Observation date: April 18, 2026
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: None.
Status: Resident
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: April 20, 2026
Coordinator notes: Individuals in this region of the state (including this one) tend to show mixed characteristics of both species. Whereas the ventral FW SM spot band appears adequately broken and the dark HW anal margin band appears thinner, c/w glaucus…the HW dark PM band (separating the yellow from blue) is pretty flat, and the HW SM crescents are boxier in shape, more c/w canadensis. What these individuals actually are or should be called is the question! New literature describes a Papilio “near-canadensis” spring flight species, as well as a similar early spring species called Papilio bjorkae, or the New England Tiger. I’m still not sure if these are the same species, but there’s yet another species - Papilio solstitius or the “Midsummer Tiger” - that takes flight around the beginning of July in the same region. Pure glaucus has two flights - one between the two species above, and then on starting at the tail end of the Midsummer. Of note…they are not true hybrids, but we use this designation currently as a placeholder until a better term is given. -jmgesell
