Which Swallowtail?

15 years ago

First time posting here, can someone tell me which swallowtail this is? DH managed to get this picture and then it was gone.

In the last few years butterflies have been non-existant around here, I caught a fleeting glance of a swallowtail a couple of years ago but none since. This one landed on the mock orange outside our kitchen window and I don't know if it's because I haven't seen one in awhile but it seems to be bigger than the ones that used to frequent our garden.

Annette

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Comments (7)

moonwolf_gw
15 years ago
Hi Annette,

Welcome to the butterfly forum! I'm no expert but that looks like an eastern tiger swallowtail to me. Mom and I saw one fluttering about just the other day. My one book says that ESTs range from about 4 (3 5/8 is what it says) to 6-1/2 inches. They are very common but always a pretty sight in the garden. Since I started planting more for the butterflies, I have been noticing them more and more. Swallowtails' host plants (what they lay their eggs on) are in the carrot family, like dill, parsley, fennel, and I've even seen them nectaring here on Queen Anne's Lace!

Happy Butterfly Gardening! We're all a friendly bunch on here so don't be afraid to ask questions. I'm a newbie here too (somewhat). I can tell you, they've helped me a lot.

Brad AKA Moonwolf
susanlynne48
15 years ago
Those are great larval host plants you listed for the Black Swallowtail.

I think you may have either a Western Tiger Swallowtail or a Two-Tailed Swallowtail, both found in your location. I cannot tell if it has two tails in the photo, though. I'll be interested to see what others think, too.

The larval host plants may vary according to what species you have.

Susan
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MissSherry
15 years ago
As you can tell by the above comments, there are many types of tiger swallowtails, Annette.
Because of the thick black tiger stripes and the big size you mention, it's undoubtedly a western tiger swallowtail. The smaller individuals you mentioned seeing before were probably Canadian tigers.
'Beautiful picture!
Sherry
butterflymomok
15 years ago
Beautiful picture! Thanks for sharing it with the forum. We don't get to see those lovelies down here in Oklahoma.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you, it's been years since we've seen butterflies in any numbers around here and definitely nothing as big as this one. When it took flight, even it's silhouette against the sky looked big so it probably is a Western.

Our city has just banned the use of most pesticides this spring so hopefully we will see more butterflies in the future.

This spring another visitor to the garden, I think it's a Blinded Sphinx moth, friend of foe, I thought it was pretty.

...and a couple of years back this one, a Loquin's Admiral? I couldn't get a good picture, every time I came near it got cranky and went on the attack LOL.

Thanks again for the ID,
Annette
MissSherry
15 years ago
That's great that they've banned pesticides, Annette!
Thanks for posting the pictures - we don't see many western butterflies, and the lorquin's admiral is a treat to see - beautiful!
Sherry
larry_gene
15 years ago
No multi-tails in the above swallowtail image. Also, its range does not include western BC/OR, or WA.

Many distribution maps omit the Canadian Tiger from Vancouver Island, but it has been reported there. They are much smaller than the Western Tiger and the topmost crescent on the hindwing edge is orange, not yellow, in case you see a very small tiger swallowtail in your yard.