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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail Coloration
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The Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is a beautiful, large butterfly, usually in the range of 3.5" - 5.5", easily identified by its black "tiger stripes".
Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are always yellow, while females may be yellow or black. Females have a splash of iridescent blue wash on their tales, while males do not. Similar to the Western Tiger Swallowtail.
The black form is called dimorphic coloration, which adds a level of protection by mimicking the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail. These females often exhibit a shadow of the "tiger" stripes. Males prefer yellow females, but the black form of the female is less attractive to predators.
Characteristics of the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtails are often seen flying high over deciduous woods, forests, and along nearby streams. They also inhabit residential gardens, parks, and orchards.
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They are often seen enjoying a variety of flowers, and gathering in large numbers at mud puddling locations. Their life span is about two weeks.
The produce 2-3 broods a year in the deep South U.S. Its breeding range encompasses most of the United States and Canada.
Host and Nectar Plants
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail utilizes a large variety of host plants, mostly trees, such as cottonwood, ash, birch, wild black cherry, tulip tree, sweet bay (magnolia), and willow.
Favorite nectar plants include honeysuckle, milkweeds, azaleas, thistles and other urban flowers.
Identifying the Male and Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies
A side-by-side comparison of the male and female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is shown below.
Tiger Swallowtail Life Cycle: Overview and Timings
| Stage | Typical Duration |
| Egg stage | Generally 4 to 10 days, depending on temperature and host plant |
| Caterpillar (larval) stage | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Chrysalis (pupal) stage | 10 - 20 days (except for overwintering pupae) |
| Adult butterfly stage | 6 to 14 days |
Photos of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, dark dimorphic color form (8/7/2014)
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, dark dimorphic color form, seen at the Dallas Arboretum (courtesy of E. Buchanan, June, 2018)
Male Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Purple Verbena
Male Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Male Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly missing its left tail
Another male Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, missing its right tail (8/4/2014)
Morphed female Tiger Swallowtail showing multiple markings |
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Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
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