Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus Lucas, 1852
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upperside of hindwing with upper-most marginal spot yellow or lacking. Underside of forewing with separate yellow spots forming marginal band. Hindwing has narrow marginal spots and no orange tint except for 2 spots near end of inner margin.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 4 inches (7 - 10 cm).
Life History: Males patrol canyons or hilltops for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on surface of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest on silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of cottonwood and aspen (Populus), willows (Salix), wild cherry (Prunus), and ash (Fraxinus).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including thistles, abelia, California buckeye, zinnia, and yerba santa.
Habitat: Woodlands near rivers and streams, wooded suburbs, canyons, parks, roadsides, and oases.
Range: Western North America from British Columbia south to southern New Mexico and Baja California; east to western South Dakota and southeast Colorado. A rare stray to central Nebraska.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 241 - 264 of 1277 verified sightings
Observation date: May 13, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 13, 2021
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Idaho County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 10, 2021
Observation date: Sep 20, 2020
Submitted by: Bellacat
Region: Lane County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 05, 2021
Observation date: Apr 19, 2021
Submitted by: Karen Richardson
Region: Yolo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 19, 2021
Observation date: Apr 16, 2021
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 17, 2021
Observation date: Apr 01, 2021
Submitted by: ymoseley
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 03, 2021
Observation date: Apr 01, 2021
Submitted by: EricStewart
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 01, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2020
Submitted by: Mcneerd
Region: Lane County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Mar 28, 2021
Observation date: Mar 24, 2021
Submitted by: msingley
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 25, 2021
Observation date: Mar 24, 2021
Submitted by: msingley
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 25, 2021
Observation date: Mar 06, 2021
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 24, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2009
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2008
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Stillwater County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 05, 2021
Observation date: Jun 10, 2017
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Stillwater County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 03, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Laramie County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: May 29, 2017
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 23, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 17, 2020
Observation date: Jun 14, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Conejos County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 23, 2020
Observation date: Aug 06, 2020
Submitted by: williamharmonlds
Region: Elbert County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 22, 2020
Observation date: Aug 26, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 27, 2020
Observation date: Aug 23, 2020
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 24, 2020
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2013
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Yolo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 11 of 54
- next ›