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
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 13096 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 30, 2022
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jan 04, 2023
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: Debo
Region: Montgomery County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 23, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2021
Submitted by: stroiola
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Oct 20, 2022
Observation date: Sep 15, 2022
Submitted by: D Grimes
Region: Pasco County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 15, 2022
Observation date: Sep 13, 2022
Submitted by: Naturemom87
Region: Brantley County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: DannyboyKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Sep 11, 2022
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 08, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Camden County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Oct 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 29, 2022
Submitted by: slwillia451
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Sep 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: Chrysanthemum
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Sep 27, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: TuTuponyrider
Region: Riley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 26, 2022
Observation date: Sep 17, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 24, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2022
Submitted by: KMBuckelew
Region: Morgan County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: SteveP
Region: Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: mysorekid
Region: St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 05, 2021
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Sep 15, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: Sherry in Kansas
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 02, 2022
Submitted by: Jim Lowe
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 13, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
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