Hobbies And Interests
Identification
Male eastern tiger swallowtails have yellow wings with a black border containing yellow spots around the edges and four black tiger stripes on the forewings. Females can look the same as the males, but some of the females are almost entirely black with yellow spots at the edges of the wings. The two different colorings have probably persisted because they each offer evolutionary advantages. The yellow and black tiger striping distracts predators, while the black coloring may serve to mimic the poisonous blue swallowtail butterfly.
Habitat &Range
The eastern tiger swallowtail ranges widely from New England to the southern Great Lakes and south through Texas and Florida. They can also be found in Alaska and parts of Canada. Their preferred habitat is deciduous forests, especially near rivers, streams and swamps.
Life Cycle
Female eastern tiger swallowtails lay single eggs on the top sides of leaves. When the eggs hatch, the larvae spin a mat of silk, which causes the leaf to curl upwards. As the larvae grow, they venture out to other leaves to feed and return to their silk mats to rest. After the larvae are fully grown, they move toward the ground or into the leaf litter to pupate over the winter and emerge as adults in the spring.
Behavior
Eastern tiger swallowtails are mostly solitary, although they have been observed flying in groups of 50. The males fly around the treetops patrolling for females. The adult butterflies search for nectar from plants and take water and minerals from mud. The larvae feed on leaves of various host trees, such as tulip trees, sweet bay and black cherry.