Life Cycle

• The adult tiger swallowtail butterfly lays tiny yellow eggs in small plants and trees. These eggs form green caterpillars, which do not have eyes. The green caterpillars typically hatch on leaves, which provide an immediate snack for them until they develop wings. Caterpillars turn into pupas, which is the term for the insect when it goes into its resting phase. During this phase, it forms a cocoon, inside of which it does not drink or eat. Rather, it forms wings and a butterfly body. Eventually, an adult butterfly emerges from the cocoon.
  
  

Classification and Habitat

• Tiger swallowtail butterflies belong to the Lepidoptera order, which includes other butterflies and moths. It is in the Papilionidae family along with apollos, swallowtails and birdwings, all of which are other types of butterflies. The butterfly belongs to the Papilio genus and the Glaucas species. These butterflies can be found around North America, Mexico and Canada. The tiger swallowtail usually inhabits grasslands and heavily forested areas, although they can occasionally be found in cities.
  
  

Appearance

• The butterflies typically have large yellow and black stripes on their wings, with a black bar across the bottom of the wings. Males have darker stripes. Females have two forms: one is a yellow and black striped pattern similar to males, and the other is a darker coloring with hints of blue. The wingspan for both males and females ranges from 3 5/8 to 6 1/2 inches.
  
  

Eating Habits and Predators

• While the caterpillars typically munch on leaves of plants, adult butterflies eat the nectar of flowers. Wild cherry plants and lilacs are two common sources of food. Butterflies sip the nectar through a proboscis, which is a long tube that resembles a tongue. It uncoils to sip nectar, and then it recoils when not in use. Although these butterflies are not poisonous, their colors mimic the colors of other poisonous butterflies, which helps ward off predators such as birds or other larger insects.