April 18, 2026

While one of my sisters was visiting last weekend, she commented on the bounty of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) that are here on the mountain this spring. I’ve noticed that too, and I’d use one of my Dad’s favorite words, ubiquitous, to describe the number that are around right now.

And what a surprise – female Tiger Swallowtails are in two different color forms. The yellow one, like the one that you are used to seeing, and the black form, shown above. The black form is nearly all black, and commonly shows subtle black stripes, seen when the lighting and the viewer’s angle is just right. This color form has the appearance of a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) which discourages its predators with an unpleasant taste. The male is always the usual yellow and black.

Nature is amazing.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!