Tiger Swallowtails (Click image to enlarge) 
Tiger Swallowtails (Click image to enlarge) |
Tiger Swallowtail Pterourus glaucus Tiger Swallowtails are large (3-6 inches) tiger-striped butterflies that occur throughout much of the United States, although some authorities consider the form found in the western continental United States to be a separate species. Some females are mostly black, and all females are the same color as their mother. This may be an example of mimicry of the pipevine swallowtail, a species which is distasteful to birds. The larvae feed on a wide variety of host plants, and the pupae are capable of overwintering. According to Scott, males of this species "congregate at wet spots to get sodium ions from the water", and "patrol all day in woodland lanes or moist wooded valley bottoms to seek females". A photograph of that phenomenon appears left, bottom. |
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