Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Images

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Images, Facts and Information:

Papilio glaucus

• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are large, striking flying insects. Males are brilliant yellow with four bold black tiger stripes on each forewing and black borders with yellow spots. Females are dimorphic and may be either yellow with similar markings as the males or almost solid black, especially in the southern part of their range. Both female forms display characteristic blue patches and orange spots on the hindwings.
• Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are widespread in eastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, from Ontario south to the Gulf Coast, and west to the central Great Plains and northern Mexico. They inhabit deciduous woodlands, forest edges, gardens, parks, meadows, and river valleys.
• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly adults primarily feed on nectar from a broad variety of flowers, favoring robust red, pink, and purple blossoms. Caterpillars are herbivorous, feeding on the leaves of trees such as wild cherry, tulip tree, ash, willow, birch, apple, and poplar.
• Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtails lay green, spherical eggs singly on the leaves of host trees. Upon hatching, caterpillars initially resemble bird droppings for camouflage, then later become bright green with prominent false eyespots to deter predators.
• Groups of swallowtail butterflies do not have a widely recognized collective noun, but are sometimes called a “kaleidoscope” of butterflies.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly photos.