Tiger Swallowtail  FAMILY  Papillonidae 

 

 SPECIES  Papilio glaucus

PHYSICAL  4" - 6.5" across; male is yellow with black pattern hence, the name "tiger" with  some blue below; female is dark brownish black with yellow spots on the upper side with  blue below.

HABITAT  A wanderer the swallowtail travels in orchards, fields and gardens to find nectar of flowers. ypically found in fields and woodlands, the tiger swallowtail is drawn into urban areas by flower gardens where it will spend its short life among nectar and members of the opposite sex. The  female distributes its 250 eggs throughout many trees to ensure adequate nutrition for the  caterpillar when it hatches. While the adult butterfly can easily escape enemies, the slow
caterpillar relies on a threatening facade of large fake eyes and horns to deter predators. In fall, the caterpillar attaches itself to a twig for the pupal stage in which it remains through the winter before emergence in the spring as a tiger swallowtail. To attract butterflies such as the swallowtail, locate your garden in a sunny area and use nectar-producing flowering plants with
large splashes of color. Plan for continuous color throughout the season and  include shallow  puddles or damp areas. The swallowtail often lays it eggs on such indigenous trees as birch, wild  cherry, tulip and ash - these would be ideal nearby. One pleasant byprodu ct of a successful butterfly garden is often the attraction of hummingbirds which are drawn to a similar habitat.

FEEDING  Nectar of flowers and flowering shrubs, and puddles of water.

REPRODUCTION The male generally emerges before the female and waits near bright  flowers for females to appear and will mate with several females; the female lays up to 250 eggs in several trees; the caterpillar evolves into the pupal stage and sleeps in its hard shell - the chrysalis through the winter before emerging in spring.

The most common North American butterfly, the tiger swallowtail 
receiving its name from the yellow wings with black 44 tiger markings" and the tapered tail-like  extensions at the bottom of its wings, the male Swallowtail is a beautiful and impressive sight darting among the flowers as it feeds. The coloring varies but the female's is more subdued: brown to black wings with yellow spots. Both sexes also have blue markings along their  hindwings.