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Tiger Swallowtail: A Large, Colorful Butterfly to Brighten Up Your Day
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (GNU Free Documentation license)
Want to attract a bright, colorful butterfly of impressive size?
Today I'm profiling the tiger swallowtail - a large, colorful butterfly typically with a yellow and gold pattern.
Species
Chief tiger swallowtail species include:
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
- Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
- Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)
- Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio appalachiensis)
Description
The tiger swallowtail flies from spring through fall (meaning most of the year in warmer climates). It's large and colorful, with the Eastern having the largest wingspan of 12cm.
Typically yellow, the tiger swallowtail has the four black stripes on each fore wing, black trailing edges to fore and hind wings, and "tails" on the hind wings. It also small red and blue spots on the hind wing close to the abdomen.
Species Differences
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Dark Morph, courtesy of dbarronoss under a Creative Commons license
The Eastern has two female morphs. The yellow looks very similar to the above, with the hind wings having a bit of blue. The blue morph has a dark gray to black instead of yellow and is more common in the South.
The Eastern is a bit larger than the Canadian, with minor differences in the markings on inner edge of the hind wing and the underside of the fore wing. The Appalachian has a straighter wing edge, has less blue markings, and is a slightly paler yellow.
How to Attract
Zinnia elegans (public domain)
To attract tiger swallowtails, provide nectar plants and, if possible, host plants.
Asclepias curassavica, courtesy of Justin Lebar, GNU Free Documentation License
Smaller nectar plants suitable for containers include butterfly weed, aka milkweed (Asclepias spp.), zinnia, mint, lantana, hlox, clover, joe pye weed, and sunflowers (dwarf cultivars work better in small spaces).
If you have room, the larger shrubs like butterfly bush, abelia, lilac, and honeysuckle or plants like buckwheat also attract these butterflies.
Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar, courtesy of Scott Robinson under a Creative Commons license
Unfortunately for those of us with small outdoor areas, our porches, patios, decks, and balconies do not support the trees -- ash, sycamore, cherry, willow, more -- tiger swallowtails need as hosts.
However, you might have some of these trees in your local neighborhood.
Range
Western Tiger Swallowtail (GNU Free Documentation license)
The Eastern and Western Tiger Swallowtail ranges cover most of the United States, with the range of each meeting at the western edge of the Great Plains and extending into Mexico and Canada.
The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail ranges from New England and the northern Great Lakes across Canada to central Alaska, while the Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail is found in a limited region along the Appalachian range.
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