- Their wingspan ranges from 7.5 to 14 cm with females being the larger
- Southern individuals are larger than northern ones
- Males are yellow with four black “tiger stripes” on each fore wing
- It takes anywhere between 4 to 10 days for the egg to hatch laid by an adult
- Adults are seen from spring to fall. In the south, they are seen from February to November; in the north, they are seen from May to September
- The first known drawing of a North America butterfly was that of an Eastern tiger swallowtail. It was drawn by John White in 1587
- Males seek females by patrolling habitats containing the larval host plants
- Adults use a wide range of food sources, most preferring to nectar on sturdy plants with red or pink flowers
- Males participate in a behavior called puddling, in which they congregate on mud, damp gravel, or puddles. They extract sodium ions and amino acids from these sources which aid in reproductio
- Their range includes North America from central Alaska southeast across Canada and the northern Great Lakes states to northern New England.
- Host plants include:
- Wild black cherry-Prunus serotina
- Ash-Fraxinus spp.
- Cottonwood-Populus spp.
- Wafer ash/hop tree-Ptelea trifoliata
- Common Lilac-Syinga vulgaris
- Sweet bay magnolia-Magnolia virginiana
- Tulip poplar/tulip tree-Liriodedron tulipifera
- Willow-Salix spp.
- Life Cycle Stages Include:
- Egg – It takes 3–5 days for eggs to hatch.
- Larva – The caterpillar has five instars.
- Pupa – The chrysalis stage lasts 9–11 days, or over winter hibernation.
- Adult – Northern areas have 1-2 generations; southern areas may have three.