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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 83 verified sightings
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Tammy Knuth)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Tammy Knuth)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: Jul 24, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Ross A. Layberry)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Sep 13, 2010
Observation date: Jun 01, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tammy Knuth)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: davidwright (David Wright)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: Jun 01, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tammy Knuth)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: davidwright (David Wright)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: May 26, 2011
Submitted by: maarhuis
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 05, 2011
Observation date: Jul 03, 2012
Submitted by: Louisa c
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 06, 2012
Observation date: Jun 24, 2012
Submitted by: Janet Tubb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 07, 2012
Observation date: Jul 13, 2012
Submitted by: Janet Tubb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2012
Observation date: Aug 08, 2012
Submitted by: Janet Tubb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 25, 2012
Observation date: Jul 12, 2012
Submitted by: toadhall
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 27, 2012
Observation date: Jul 21, 2010
Submitted by: born_standin_up...
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 15, 2012
Observation date: May 27, 2013
Submitted by: Pramath Sastry
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 31, 2013
Observation date: Jul 03, 2013
Submitted by: bexster0488
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: Jim Edsall
Verified date: Jul 07, 2013
Observation date: Jul 20, 2013
Submitted by: robb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 22, 2013
Observation date: Jul 13, 2013
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 29, 2013
Observation date: Aug 02, 2013
Submitted by: akrips
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 11, 2013
Observation date: Aug 17, 2013
Submitted by: pc33
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2013
Observation date: Aug 25, 2013
Submitted by: liyoung
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 25, 2013
Observation date: Jul 12, 2013
Submitted by: soluslupus13
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 23, 2014
Observation date: Jul 31, 2013
Submitted by: soluslupus13
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 23, 2014
Observation date: Jun 16, 2013
Submitted by: soluslupus13
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 23, 2014
Observation date: Jun 23, 2014
Submitted by: Eric.Spurrell@g...
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 25, 2014
Observation date: Jul 04, 2014
Submitted by: juliereid
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2014
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