MAY/JUNE: Papilio glaucus EGGS
Host plants: Ash, Willow, Birch, Cherry, various other deciduous trees
Difficulty: Easy (1/10)
Temperature: Room temp.; adult butterflies may require warmth to breed
Lifecycle: two or three broods annually; pupae overwinter
Big swallowtail butterflies hailing from the Eastern USA, commonly known as the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. The male and female butterfly are quite different, and the female has two different forms - yellow or black, known as melanic.
Very easy to rear on various host plants, typically this butterfly has two broods per year, with the second overwintering as pupae - these can be kept cool outdoors or refrigerated to remain dormant until the following spring. Keeping them at room temperature will induce emergence. Caterpillars become large and form pupae that point upwards, usually on the branches or leaves of their host plants.