TIGERS ON THE WING

Last week-end while driving to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge I stopped by one of my favorite parks just north-west of the refuge office to see if the butterflies were getting nectar from the lilac bushes in the area. As I walked through the bright green grass in the park I noticed many butterflies flying around the beautiful purple fragrant lilac bushes almost dancing in the spring air.

With their yellow/black tiger stripes and long barn-swallow tails, Tiger Swallowtails are perfectly named. Large and showy, they tend to be noticed by even the most oblivious bystander. Only the Monarch butterfly is more firmly embedded in our collective American consciousness. I watch with amazement as I began taking their pictures. They fluttered their wings while feeding, perhaps as a means of keeping balance and they flew gracefully from one lilac bush to another.

Nothing is more enchanting than the appearance of colorful butterflies in our gardens. May is the start of a busy month for watching butterflies. The Western Tiger Swallowtail frequents Boundary County and is a delight to watch. They range through much of Western North America from British Columbia to Baja California.

Many North Idahoans recognize this butterfly on sight, it is large, distinctively colored and relative common, while actually at home in woodlands and stream sides, it is not unusual to see these butterflies in gardens and city parks. One thing is certain: you’re more likely to see them in places that have food for their larva (caterpillars): Willows, Cottonwoods, Ash trees and Lilac bushes. That is why we have so many Tiger Swallowtails in Mother Nature’s back yard.

Western Tiger Swallowtails are large butterflies. Their wingspan can be as much as 3-4 inches, making them one of the largest in many Idaho gardens. Females are larger than males, but otherwise similar in appearance. They are bright colored. Predominately, yellow white and black, with spots of blue red/orange.

The wings are striped like a tiger-four black stripes on yellow on both the upper and under surface. The margins of both fore and hind wings are edged in black with yellow dashes.

The hind-wings have “tails” reminiscent of the tail of a swallow-hence the name “Swallowtail”.

WHEN TO SEE

The swallowtail spends the winter hibernating as a pupae at the bottom of a plant stem, where they can withstand being submerged in water for long periods. From late May, adults emerge and will live on average for one month breeding and feeding. The first brood of adults die by mid-July. Sometimes, in August a second brood of adults emerge. These will lay eggs and their caterpillars will form pupae in September and hibernate over the winter.

More photos are available at: http://wwwbutterfliesandmoths.org/species/papilio-rutulus.