Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - The Butterfiles - ERCA Traditional Cache

This series "The Butterfiles" will highlight some of the butterflies you will see along the green way the ones marked with an * are rare/imperilled in the region so if you see them please take note of where and report to ERCA or Ojibway park. Be prepared to do some Bush Whacking to claim the find.

Caterpillar	Wing variation	Butterfly

This species was probably the first butterfly in North America to be described by Europeans. It was figured by John White, one of the early colonists in Virginia. Its common name is very appropriate, with the bold black tiger stripes over the yellow ground colour. It has a narrow black band along the inner hindwing margin. The black female form with slightly darker stripes is rarely encountered in southern Ontario, most often at Point Pelee. Wingspan: 75 to 100 mm.

Abundance: Papilio glaucus is an uncommon species in most of its Ontario range, except in the southwest.

Flight Season: This butterfly is double-brooded in the northern part of its range. The first generation starts flying in May in Ontario and adults from the second generation can be seen regularly until the end of August. A single specimen was recorded in mid-October at Point Pelee (Wormington, 1983).

Habits: This is a woodland species, but it can regularly be found in fields and along roadsides. Like the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail it is a mud-puddler.