Scientific Name: Papilio rutulus
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionoidea - Swallowtail Butterflies
Subfamily: Papilioninae
What is a Western Tiger Swallowtail:
A
papilio. Papilio is from the
Latin word papilio meaning "
butterfly."
Where do you see them: Western
North America, from eastern
British Columbia to eastern
North Dakota, south to northern
Baja California and southern
New Mexico. Rare stray to central
Nebraska. Woodlands near streams and rivers, wooded residential areas,
canyons, parks, and sagelands and
mesas with creeks. May be seen at higher elevations.
What do they look like: Adult butterflies have a two-and-three-quarter to four-inch (seven- to ten-centimeter)
wingspan. The wings are black and pale
yellow with black
tiger-stripes. The hindwings have tails at their lower tips that resemble the long tail feathers of a swallow. Blue spots are found around the outer margin of the
hindwing. The upper side of the hindwing may have a yellow spot on the outer margin. On the forewing, yellow spots form a continuous band along the outer margin of the wing. These yellow spots are bordered in
black.
What they eat:Caterpillars feed upon
cottonwood, willow,
quaking aspen, alder,
maple, sycamore, hoptree,
plum and
ash. Adults feed on flower
nectar from a wide variety of
flowers.