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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 1277 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 28, 2018
Submitted by: 428papidenuit
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 02, 2022
Observation date: Sep 21, 2022
Submitted by: Diane Johnson
Region: Mohave County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Christensen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: Idalgit
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: Claude Rioux
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2019
Submitted by: Quiio
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: Caro
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2020
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2020
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2020
Submitted by: Blaire.Louise
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2021
Submitted by: Monadoe29
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2022
Submitted by: DennisVictoria
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: Ra.walker
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2021
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: JudyNorth
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2022
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: hchristina
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2016
Submitted by: Larry Shushan
Region: Baja California Norte, Mexico
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: Breannahendren
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 24, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2022
Submitted by: radek_smolec
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2021
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: Michael Yang
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2022
Submitted by: Beeeater
Region: Kootenai County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
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