Attract Eastern Tiger Swallowtails: Host Plants, Nectar Sources, and Garden Tips

Eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) are large, charismatic butterflies common from late spring through early fall across eastern North America. To lure and keep them, provide both adult nectar sources and caterpillar host plants. Here's how.

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Quick Facts

• Family: Papilionidae
• Range: Eastern North America—central Minnesota to New England, south to Texas and Florida
• Habitat: Woodland edges, gardens, meadows, prairies, old fields, farms
• Flight period: Late April/early May in north; earlier in south. 2–3 generations per year; adults through August/September

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Female on sweet Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum).

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Male on wild plum (Prunus americana).

Why They Matter

Adults forage widely for nectar. As one of the Northeast's largest butterflies, their greater wing surface area contacts more pollen—making them effective pollinators.

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Male on tall blazing star (Liatris aspera).

Identification

Adults: 3–5.5 inch wingspan. Yellow with black tiger stripes. Both sexes have orange/blue hindwing spots; females have additional blue scaling. A black female form occurs (rarer north, common south). Females often fly at treetop height seeking host plants.

Caterpillars: Early instars: dark brown with white splotches (bird-dropping mimicry). Fourth instar: light green with large false eyespots. Fifth instar: brown, descending to pupate on bark or leaf litter.

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Adult on purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Black-form female on wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).

How to Attract Them

1. Eliminate Pesticides

No insecticides, especially on flowers or host plants.

2. Provide Larval Host Plants

Caterpillars feed on woody natives: ash (Fraxinus spp.), black cherry (Prunus serotina), magnolia (Magnolia spp.), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).

3. Offer Puddling Sites

Males need minerals from moist bare soil. Create a damp sand/soil patch.

4. Plant Continuous Nectar Sources

Large butterflies need sturdy, large flower heads to perch on. Bloom succession is key.

Sample Plant List:

• Spring: Wild plum (Prunus americana)
• Summer: Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Joe Pye weeds (Eutrochium spp.), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
• Late summer/fall: Blazing stars (Liatris spp.), asters

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Adult on white prairie clover (Dalea candida).

Life Cycle

After mating, females lay single eggs on host leaves. Caterpillars undergo five instars, molting four times. Fourth instar turns green, webs itself to leaf tops. Mature caterpillar turns brown, descends to pupate on bark or leaf litter—camouflaged against the brown backdrop.

Holm Design & Consulting LLC: Adult male spreading striped wings.

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