Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Papilio glaucus

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is the first North American swallowtail drawn by a European in 1587. Both sexes have black tiger stripes on a yellow background, but the male lacks a row of blue spots seen on the female’s hindwing. Occasional females are solid black, but shadows of the black bands can still be seen. In Florida, caterpillars prefer Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana) and Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). The green caterpillars with eyespots live on a silken mat on tops of leaves of its host plant.