Nature note: Meet the eastern tiger swallowtail

A few days ago, I was walking my dog, Juno, down the dirt road that leads to my home when a flutter of big, yellow wings caught my attention. I instantly knew what it was: an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus).

Each spring, when the sun has warmed the landscape enough for dandelions to bloom and grass to grow tall, tiger swallowtails emerge. They’re among the largest, flashiest butterflies we have here in Maine, and they often visit my home. In addition to being vibrant yellow with black stripes and wavy markings, their wings feature small blue and red-orange patches or dots.

The butterfly’s wingspan is impressive, reaching up to 5.5 inches. They drink nectar from a variety of flowers. They’re also often seen sipping from puddles, where the water contains salts and minerals from the soil.

The tiger swallowtail that I recently spotted was balancing on a beech tree leaf, its wings out flat. To me, it appeared to be sunbathing, which would make sense. It was a cool spring day, and tiger swallowtails often bask in the sun to warm their bodies.