 Tiger of the Skies: TheTiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail butterfly feeding on lilac blossoms. Can you tell if it an Eastern or Canadian Tiger Swallowtail? (See resources listed below) Photo by Jocelyn Hubbell.
Look for sky tigers feeding now at flowers near you! The Tiger Swallowtail is a large, showy, bright yellow butterfly with black-striped wings. It feeds on the nectar of wild cherry, wild iris, wood lily, clovers, thistles, milkweeds, and lilacs. Look for it in deciduous mixed woodlands, forest edges, along streams and rivers, and in flower gardens. Eggs are laid singly on the caterpillar's food sources: wild cherry, birches, basswood, ash, and willows. The young caterpillar looks like a bird dropping (why do you think this is?), then matures to a bright green with two huge eyespots of yellow, blue and black circles. If disturbed, the caterpillar may rise up to show these spots - looking a bit like a snake. (Their head is really very small and well below the eye spots.) If disturbed further, the caterpillar can also flare out a pair of foul-smelling glands to dissuade the inquisitive creature from eating it.
Interesting Facts
- The pupa stage of metamorphosis - when the caterpillar (larva) goes into the chrysalis stage to undergo the complete change of the form of its body from caterpillar to butterfly - is still not completely understood by the scientists that study insects (entomologists).
- The Tiger Swallowtail overwinters in the pupa stage - in the chrysalis.
- The wingspan of a tiger swallowtail can measure up to 5.5-inches.
- Male Tiger Swallowtails do not have the blue and red spots (scales) on their hind wings. Look again at the photo above. Is it a male or female?
- Maine is home to over 115 species of butterflies. Learn about them at the Maine Butterfly Survey.
- Psyche, the ancient Greek term for butterflies, represented the human soul to the Greeks, and in their mythology took the form of a young woman with butterfly wings.
Activities for Children and the Young at Heart
- Look at the Tiger Swallowtail photo above. Can you tell if it is an Eastern or Canadian Tiger Swallowtail? Use these sources at Butterflies and Moths of North America: Canadian Tiger Swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Help butterflies by providing natural food sources. Download the University of Maine Extension's Bulletin: Landscaping for Butterflies in Maine. Add some to your garden, or draw a virtual garden - one that you'd like to have in the future - that will attract at least five of the butterflies listed in the bulletin. Butterfly gardens can be certified by the North American Butterfly Association.
- Learn about other cultural beliefs or stories about butterflies. Do any other cultures share the Psyche belief or story?
- Make a butterfly checklist to keep with you on your walks and when you are at gardens. Leave room to add dates of repeated sightings and notes about the weather.
- Draw your favorite butterfly. Why is it your favorite? What can you tell others about it?
- Can you name a butterfly that migrates a very long distance to get to Maine? Make a migration map and make note when you see it each year.
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