Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus

Size:
Wingspan is 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches.

Similar Species:
Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail
Also dark form females resembles
Spicebush Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail (female)

Habitat: Woodlands, fields, clearings and gardens. Sometimes seen soaring at the treetops and flying along waterways.

Range/Abundance:
Very common in the piedmont and mountains, uncommon in the coastal plain. The most common swallowtail species east of the Mississippi River.

Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid March until mid October in two to three broods with no apparent gaps between broods.

Larval Host Plants:
Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera and Wild Black Cherry Prunus serotina are the most common host plants.

Comments:
These swallowtails can be quite variable from brood to brood. The spring brood is small when compared to the much larger summer brood.

Black or dark form females are more common the further south you go.

The top photo was taken in Durham Co., NC in August 2002. The second photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on March 25, 2002. The black female was photographed in Adams Co., OH on September 03, 2002.

Underside Photos (Page 2)

 

Start > Species List > Swallowtails >

 

 
Start > Species List > Swallowtails > Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 01
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus (male)
Male on Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata.
Notice the absence of blue in the hindwings reveals it’s a male.
Mouse over the above image to see identification keys.
Eastern TigerSwallowtail, Papilio glaucus (female)
Female on peach blossoms.
Notice the metallic blue in the hindwing it makes it easy to ID as a female.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus (dark form female)
Female black or dark form on thistle.
The single row of whitish spots on the forewings
helps to tell it from the female Black Swallowtail.
Mouse over the above image to see identification keys.
Eastern TigerSwallowtail, Papilio glaucus (intermediate form female)
Intermediate form female in other words 50% yellow form 50% black form.
Very rare, I saw three of these in NC in 1998.


All images are the copyright of Randy Emmitt. Please request permission or purchase a license to use these images for anything other than personal use. Visit these links for inquiries on image licensing and CD purchases. Also visit our website at rlephoto.carolinanature.com