The Beautiful Tiger Swallowtail

Photo by Jerry Payne, USDA ARS, www.forestryimages.org
The Beautiful Tiger Swallowtail
Swallowtail Puzzle Swallowtail Coloring Where is the Swallowtail? Back to Park Pals Page
GLOSSARY
Chrysalis	The protective covering of a pupa
Forms	A defined shape and coloring
False Eyespots	Imitations of a visual organ
Larvae	Immature feeding form that hatches from an egg
Nectar	Sweet liquid secreted by a plant
Pupate	A period of time when an insect changes from a larva to its mature form
Thorax	The middle of the three body segments of an insect
Wingspan	Distance between the outermost tips of the wings
Photo by Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University, www.forestryimages.org

The beautiful Tiger Swallowtail is one of the most easily recognized butterflies in Ohio. It can be found in all areas of Ohio, from woodlands to wetlands, however it prefers to have water close by.

This large butterfly has a wingspan of 4 to 6 inches. There are two common forms of tiger swallowtail, yellow and black. Both forms have slender tails at the bottom of the back wings. The yellow form has the black edges with yellow inside and four black stripes on the front wings with yellow spots just inside the edges. The black form has light blue spots along the edges of both the front and back wings. The back wings also have yellow and orange spots further into the wings. Even on the black form, the four stripes are visible on the underside of the front wings.

The eggs of the Tiger Swallowtail are green to green-yellow. Newly hatched larvae are dark in color and look like bird droppings, but turn green as they get bigger and older. The older swallowtail larvae also have a swollen thorax with a single pair of false eyespots. These eyespots make the larvae look like a snake to keep predators away.

The larvae of the Tiger Swallowtail feed on the leaves of trees. Some of the preferred tree species are wild cherry, tulip tree, ash, willow and birch. As adult butterflies, the tiger swallowtail feeds only on the nectar they find in flowers, such as phlox and milkweed.

During the late summer, mature tiger swallowtail larvae change color to a dark green brown and crawl down their tree toward the ground. On a low branch, they begin to pupate. While the larvae is in the pupal stage, they are encased within a chrysalis. They remain in the chrysalis through the winter and then emerge as the beautiful Tiger Swallowtail in mid-Spring.

Aren't Tiger Swallowtails beautiful?