Butterflies of North Carolina

Common Name begins with:
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Scientific Name begins with:
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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.

Related Species in PAPILIONIDAE:
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Common Name

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail by Scott Hartley => black form female - 2003-09-17
[View PDF]

Click to enlarge
[Google Images] GBIF [Global Distribution ] BoA [Images ] iNaturalist

Scientific Name

Pterourus glaucus

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Statewide, not obviously favoring one province over another. It is found in all 100 counties.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Common to at times abundant across the state; one of the most often seen butterflies in NC, and a dozen or more swallowtails can often be seen in a single day.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Early March to early October (and exceptionally to November). At least two broods, and possibly three; the broods overlap, with no gaps. In the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, flight periods are apparently early March to late May, and early June to mid-September, with the "second" perhaps being composed of two broods. Mountain flights generally are from mid-March to mid- or late June, and late June into early October.

Habitat

HABITAT: Very widespread. Typically along edges of deciduous or mixed woods, old fields, and meadows, but also commonly seen in gardens and suburban habitats. Not usually seen in deep shade, but often found along openings in woods, wide trails, etc.

See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Many tree and shrub species, but apparently Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) are commonly used. (Females typically lay eggs on leaves well up in the trees and thus it is difficult for an observer to study the immature life stages of this species.) Nectar plants are very widespread, but the species prefers tall herbs such as Joe-pye-weeds (Eutrochium spp.), ironweeds (Vernonia spp.), and milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). In fact, this is by far the most commonly seen butterfly nectaring on Joe-pye-weed.

Comments

COMMENTS: This is perhaps the most familiar butterfly in NC to the novice, even though the Monarch is more famous. It is so widespread that the observer would have no idea of the foodplants of the larvae without reading about them in a book! Oddly, in 2014 the species was quite scarce over nearly all of the state, and numbers failed to rebound in the summer and fall. Most observers averaged seeing just one swallowtail every few weeks.

NOTE: A relatively new species -- Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio appalachiensis) -- was described in 2002. As this species is locally common in the NC Mountains in May and June, observers can no longer assume that a tiger swallowtail in the Mountains during these months is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. In fact, the Eastern at times is in the minority at swallowtail "puddle parties"!

This species was approved by the N.C. State Legislature in 2012 as the "Official State Butterfly".

State Rank

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Papilio glaucus

Other Name

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
	Photo by: Randy Newman Comment: Fort Macon State Park, Carteret Co.; 2004-Apr-01 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge	Photo by: M. McCloy Comment: Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Moore Co.; 2006-Apr-20 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Roger Rittmaster Comment: female, Durham Co. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Roger Rittmaster Comment: female, Durham Co. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Scott Hartley Comment: Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Moore Co.; 2005-Sep-14, on wild cherry Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Comment: Larger upper=Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail. Smaller lower=Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Avery Co. 2014-May Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Comment: Larger upper=Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail. Smaller lower=Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Avery Co. 2014-May Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Click to enlarge