These guys have been all over my gardens and "yard" in the Adirondack Mts.
Tiger Swallowtail Pics
Another shot
And one more
Those are beautiful, Mark!
Sherry
Mark, those are beautiful!
What kinds of Swallowtail host plants do you have in your yarden?? I have to get some!
I haven't seen a tiger swallowtail yet! t.
We just moved in this February so we haven t really planted anything special. They seem to be enjoying the lilacs which we have an abundance of also the archangel lambia. We have Iris blooming now to. This is our second year here and i noticed a lot of butterflies last yr too but was 2 busy to really pay attention. Maybe the lack of civilization helps.
My guess they are emerging from Cherry or Willows as hosts in the area.
Mark the Tiger STs are beautiful. The adults you pictured probably can't resist the lilacs. Send them down to Texas when your done with them, lol!
Oh, I hadn't thought of cherry trees as hosts for TST. I always think of Tulip Poplars and Sweet Bay Magnolias as their hosts. I have a few sand cherries around and I wonder if they count as Host Plants.
Do tiger swallowtails overwinter in their crysalis' up north?
Swallowtails always hibernate to some extent. Particularly in places that experience 'winter' seasons.
The cherry trees TSt use are of the Prunus Genus...
So it is possible they use sand cherry in Ohio. Check for cats or signs of them.
We have a willow tree in the yard perhaps that is their home.
Well, I'll have to get a willow, if that is the case, although I wasn't aware of the ST ovipositing on them.
That would be interesting to confirm, mark.
I have some tall grass under the willow I noticed this week that there are a lot of.... well something that looks like foam.. on them could this be eggs?
Don't think so. They have little green eggs that attach to host plant leaves (see some of the pictures in Bug Files for more info).
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails info from Bug Files: http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/4/
I googled and did read on several websites that Eastern Tigers can use Willow as a host plant although it seems like western tigers use Willow more commonly, so maybe that is your host plant.
Keep checking your garden and keep us posted on what's going on with your STs. I bet you will get a big population of residents if you had that many in early springtime.
Do you have nectar plants in your garden, too?