The exception to this is the overwintering chrysalis, which will keep the caterpillar safe during the long, cold winter to emerge in all it’s black and white glory next spring. Protographium marcellus, the zebra swallowtail, (formerly listed under genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Most of the time, it will be 3 weeks before the adults emerge. Tennessee gives the zebra swallowtail the special honor of being its state butterfly. It is more common in the southern parts of its range and less common the further north you go. The time spent inside a transparent chrysalis before the zebra swallowtail emerges as an adult varies. The zebra swallowtail ( Protographium marcellus, formerly known as Eurytides marcellus) is native to the central and southern regions of the eastern U.S. Zebra swallowtail, Protographium marcellus (Cramer), with wings spread. It is one of our most beautiful swallowtails ( Figures 1 and 2 ). kite swallowtail (tribe Leptocircini Graphiini) (Opler and Krizek 1984). For the next three weeks, these caterpillars will eat the leaves of the pawpaw plant and grow to be about 2 inches long and very fat. This image of Zebra swallowtail butterfly by Odilon Dimier/PhotoAlto - Zen Shui is available for licensing today. The zebra swallowtail, Protographium marcellus (Cramer), is our only native U.S. The caterpillars are pale green with black and yellow bands across their bodies. Zebra Swallowtail butterfly eggs are lime green and laid on the underside of PawPaw tree leaves to hide them predators. These trees are native to central and southern Illinois, growing in woodland deciduous habitats.įemale zebra swallowtails lay their round eggs on the upper surface of the pawpaw leaves and after about a week they hatch. The zebra swallowtail can be found predominantly from central to southern Illinois and it prefers a habitat of shady woodland areas.Ĭaterpillars of the zebra swallowtail feed only on one particular species of plant, the leaves of the pawpaw. As it turns out, this butterfly is called the zebra swallowtail. I got online and looked up “black and white butterflies of Illinois” to determine what it was. Individuals flying during the summer have wider black stripes and longer tails than spring individuals. Adults are unmistakable with their black and white stripes and long hindwing tails. What an enjoyable puzzle that had to be solved. Papilionicae (swallowtails) Description No other butterfly in North America looks like the zebra swallowtail. The most unusual thing that I noticed about this butterfly was the fact that even it’s body was striped! What a beautiful creature! The butterfly was mainly black and white, with smaller designs of bright red and blue on the bottom half of it’s wings. Caterpillar hosts plants: leaves of hornbeam, Carpinus pawpaw, Asiminia spicebush.
(These thickets are visible on the C & O Canal’s billy goat trail for interested hikers.Standing close to the butterfly as it flitted from leaf to leaf amid the flower buds on the vine, I realized that I had no idea what this butterfly was called. Pawpaw fruits (the largest native fruit indigenous to the Americas) are green in color, custard-like in texture but do not keep well, so they aren’t a commercial grocery item. Since the fruit and plant are so unusual, many gardeners may not be eager to plant pawpaw thickets (or grafted specimens) in their yard. Zebra Swallowtails have the same relationship to Asimina species as the Monarch has to Milkweed. The District of Columbia’s (official) insect, the Zebra Swallowtail ( Eurytides marcellus) host plant is the Pawpaw. After consultation, instead of the larger Tulip tree, there are now twin (smaller) Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba) trees framing a rain garden. In addition to the hope of edible fruit (soon!) as consolation, the Pawpaw does host *a* swallowtail butterfly’s larvae.
After having my property surveyed, I was looking forward to a combined host plant and shade tree, since the Tulip tree was on the list of possible tree options.Īlas, the size of my yard meant I needed to have smaller specimens. By Ltshears (Own work), via Wikimedia CommonsHaving a desire to see more Tiger Swallowtails ( Papilio glaucus), I looked up the host plants:ĭC’s RiverSmart program provides incentives for residents to establish conservation practices on their property, including rain gardens and shade trees.
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