Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

This swallowtail is common throughout the eastern United States and Canada. It is usually on the wing from spring to fall and sometimes longer in warm areas. Like some of the other swallowtails, the female Tiger Swallowtail has evolved a dark form that mimies the Pipe Vine Swallowtail and there by escapes predation. Like the Giant Swallowtail, the Tiger Swallowtail is one of the largest North American butterflies. A high flier, the butterfly often takes nectar on flowering trees, but it will feed from shorter plants as well. The larvae selects a variety of trees and shrubs as host plants, including wild cherry, willow, cottonwood, and tulip poplar. Its favorite nectar plants are the Butterfly bush, lilac, honeysuckle and butterfly weed.

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