Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Habitat: Deciduous woodlands near streams;

Larval food: Prunus, Fraxinus, Betula, Populus, Syringa (lilac)

Papilio glaucus Linnaeus

Color: P. glaucus has a black body with yellow stripes running laterally along both sides. The upper and lower wings are yellow accented with black bands (resembling tiger stripes). At the edges of all four wings are distinct black bands with yellow markings. The two lower wings have blue and orange spots near the tails (Klots,1979, 175).

Size: The Tiger Swallowtail is on average 4.0-5.0 inches in width, (Klots, 1979, 175) and 3.5-4.5 inches in height.

Food: The caterpillar feeds on trees: Wild Cherry, Tulip Tree, Birch, Poplar, and Ash (Klots, 1979, 175).

Geographic Range: The Tiger Swallowtail is a very familiar species all throughout the country. The species pictured above ranges from Canada, down to Florida, and into Mexico (there are different forms of the tiger swallowtail in the western states and up into Alaska, i.e., they are typically smaller in size and more pale in color - yellow)

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