Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
Papilionidae
New Jersey's state butterfly. Big — up to 5.5 inches — and unmistakable, with yellow wings striped like a tiger. The female comes in two morphs: a yellow one that looks like the male, and a dark morph that mimics the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail.
How to spot one.
4–5.5 inch wingspan
Yellow with four black tiger stripes on each forewing
Long tails on hind wings — swallowtail signature
Blue and orange spots along the trailing edge
How it lives.
Multiple broods per year in NJ (April–October). Adults nectar high in the canopy of blooming trees and low on wildflowers; both are worth watching. Overwinters as a chrysalis.
The spec sheet.
- Type
- Butterfly
- Active
- April – October
- Native to NJ
- Yes
- Conservation status
- abundant
- Family
- Papilionidae
What it needs.
Plants this species visits, feeds on, or depends on. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Wild black cherry
Larval host
Tulip tree (Liriodendron)
Larval host
Sweetbay magnolia
Larval host
Nectar source
Nectar source
Nectar source
North American Butterfly Association · NJ Butterflies
Others in this group.
- DpButterflyNative · NJ
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The reason your dill and fennel disappear every August. Larvae are the striking green-and-black striped caterpillars with orange spots that any garden…
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Spicebush Swallowtail
Papilio troilus
The dark swallowtail with the blue-green sheen on its hind wings. Adults are unmistakable, but the caterpillars are the real show — they fold spicebus…