Dark Morph Tiger DSC_9308
This is a little better image of a dark morph tiger swallowtail than I posted a few days ago. Not that she was cooperative, just that she was in a better location than the other one. Perhaps she will come back today before her wings are torn and cooperate for a nice open wing shot, that would be awesome. Unfortunately, all butterfly wings take on a lot of damage and they older they are the more tears you can expect them to have. This one was perfect yesterday.
Personally I disagree with Wikipedias description (added below) where it says the dark morph is almost completely black. I believe you can see from this side view image that she has a lot of color and you can see her tiger stripes. If I get the open wing shot I am hoping for I will post it and you can see that she too has the beautiful colors like the yellow morph does. If not, I'm sure there are plenty of other open wing shots on the internet :)
From Wikipedia:
Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States,[3] where it is common in many different habitats. It has also been found in Olüdeniz, Turkey. It flies from spring to fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers, mostly from those of the Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae families. P. glaucus has a wingspan measuring 7.9 to 14 cm (3.1 to 5.5 in). The male is yellow with four black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. Females may be either yellow or black, making them dimorphic. The yellow morph is similar to the male, but with a conspicuous band of blue spots along the hindwing, while the dark morph is almost completely black.
The green eggs are laid singly on plants of the Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae families. Young caterpillars are brown and white; older ones are green with two black, yellow, and blue eyespots on the thorax. The caterpillar will turn brown prior to pupating. It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in). The chrysalis varies from a whitish color to dark brown. Hibernation occurs in this stage in locations with cold winter months.
Dark Morph Tiger DSC_9308
This is a little better image of a dark morph tiger swallowtail than I posted a few days ago. Not that she was cooperative, just that she was in a better location than the other one. Perhaps she will come back today before her wings are torn and cooperate for a nice open wing shot, that would be awesome. Unfortunately, all butterfly wings take on a lot of damage and they older they are the more tears you can expect them to have. This one was perfect yesterday.
Personally I disagree with Wikipedias description (added below) where it says the dark morph is almost completely black. I believe you can see from this side view image that she has a lot of color and you can see her tiger stripes. If I get the open wing shot I am hoping for I will post it and you can see that she too has the beautiful colors like the yellow morph does. If not, I'm sure there are plenty of other open wing shots on the internet :)
From Wikipedia:
Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States,[3] where it is common in many different habitats. It has also been found in Olüdeniz, Turkey. It flies from spring to fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers, mostly from those of the Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae families. P. glaucus has a wingspan measuring 7.9 to 14 cm (3.1 to 5.5 in). The male is yellow with four black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. Females may be either yellow or black, making them dimorphic. The yellow morph is similar to the male, but with a conspicuous band of blue spots along the hindwing, while the dark morph is almost completely black.
The green eggs are laid singly on plants of the Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae families. Young caterpillars are brown and white; older ones are green with two black, yellow, and blue eyespots on the thorax. The caterpillar will turn brown prior to pupating. It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in). The chrysalis varies from a whitish color to dark brown. Hibernation occurs in this stage in locations with cold winter months.