What kind of swallowtail is this?
A tiger swallowtail next to the mystery man
I saw this odd swallowtail a few days ago while watering my outside plants. There is always a ton of butterflies on the pink phlox in front of the garage, and I knew right away that I had never seen this kind before.
Thank heavens for a handy camera and google. With a few clicks (I knew it was a swallowtail) I discovered that it is called a giant swallowtail. Not a very creative name, I know, but it is the biggest swallowtail found in the continental US. Males can get to be 7″, but I don’t think this one was quite that large. The caterpillar stage looks like a large blob of bird poop!
It is found across the country though mainly in the eastern half and especially in Florida – not surprisingly because the caterpillar likes to feed on citrus leaves. I really hope to see one again. I’ll be keeping my eye on the phlox.
