Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I haven't shown an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in a while; below is one encountered at the Duke Farms butterfly count. 

This is one of the larger and most distinctive butterflies in my area; the only butterfly it looks like on close observation is the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, and we probably only get the occasional stray down here. Another relative, the Western Tiger Swallowtail, is also very similar but even less likely to be seen this far east. Though these are recognized as separate species, it's obvious they're closely related to the extent they can interbreed. There is even a hybrid population between the Eastern and Canadian Tiger Swallowtails that's now recognized as a separate species, the Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail. It's a little unclear to me whether they should be different species or different subspecies.

July 25 at Duke Farms





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