The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is a large, striking, and widely recognized butterfly native to the eastern United States, ranging from the Great Plains eastward to the Atlantic and from the Gulf Coast up to southern Ontario. Males of this species are famously distinguished by their bright yellow wings marked with bold black "tiger stripes" and long, black tails on their hindwings, while females exhibit sexual dimorphism, appearing either in the yellow-and-black form or a darker, almost solid bluish-black form that mimics the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail to deter predators. As one of North America's largest butterflies, with a wingspan of up to 5.5 inches, it is a common sight in a variety of habitats, including deciduous woodlands, river valleys, suburban gardens, and parks. The adult butterflies are important pollinators, feeding on the nectar of many flowers, while their caterpillars feed on the leaves of host trees like wild black cherry and tulip tree, possessing an impressive defense mechanism called an osmeterium—an orange, forked gland that emits a foul odor when disturbed.
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is a large, striking, and widely recognized butterfly native to the eastern United States, ranging from the Great Plains eastward to the Atlantic and from the Gulf Coast up to southern Ontario. Males of this species are famously distinguished by their bright yellow wings marked with bold black "tiger stripes" and long, black tails on their hindwings, while females exhibit sexual dimorphism, appearing either in the yellow-and-black form or a darker, almost solid bluish-black form that mimics the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail to deter predators. As one of North America's largest butterflies, with a wingspan of up to 5.5 inches, it is a common sight in a variety of habitats, including deciduous woodlands, river valleys, suburban gardens, and parks. The adult butterflies are important pollinators, feeding on the nectar of many flowers, while their caterpillars feed on the leaves of host trees like wild black cherry and tulip tree, possessing an impressive defense mechanism called an osmeterium—an orange, forked gland that emits a foul odor when disturbed.
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