Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail,
Papilio glaucus

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

Similar Species:
Spicebush Swallowtail (black form females)
Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail a newly described species not found in any field guides yet!

Habitat: Woodlands, fields, clearings and gardens. Sometimes seen soaring at the treetops. Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)and Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) are the most common host plants.

Abundance: Very common statewide in North Carolina.

Flight Period: Flies from mid March until mid October.

Comments: Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are very common visitors to about any place you go in the state. The black form of the female can be confused with the Spicebush Swallowtail, but careful examination will aid in the identification easily.

The photo at right of a female was taken on peach blossoms on March 25, 2002 Orange County, NC in my yard.

Below left is a caterpillar usually they are green but they turn brown just before transforming I found it late in the season on Oct 15, 1999.

Male (above)

Female

Black Form Female below

Of the thousands of Eastern Tigers I saw in 1998 there were 3 females that were in between the
black form and regular form female. Here`s 2 photos of this what I call "golden form"

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