One of our most familiar butterflies, with a bold yellow and black tiger-striped pattern.

Female, Carroll Co., VA 7/24/05.

Female, Carroll Co., VA 7/24/05.

Craven Co., NC 8/26/2012.

Carroll Co., VA 8/17/08.

Females can be either yellow or black. Black form females are similar to the other dark swallowtails. Look for the pale yellow thin crescents on the trailing edge of the hindwing, unlike the pale blue half-moons of Spicebush Swallotail and the row of oval whitish spots well in from the edge on Pipevine Swallowtail.

Carroll Co., VA 8/17/08.

C&O Canal, Montgomery Co., MD 9/10/05.

Dark form female, Carroll Co., VA 4/10/11.

Granville Co., NC 5/1/2011.

The undersides are also similar to other dark swallowtails, with two bands of orange spots like Spicebush Swallotail, but unlike Pipevine Swallowtail, which has one. The thing to look for is on the inside band — it's not as strong as the outside band and the third spot is not replaced by a blue dash, as it is on Spicebush. This is much easier to see from a photo than when the butterfly is on the wing!

Carroll Co., VA 7/24/10.

This one is nectaring on Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium).

Carroll Co., VA 4/11/10.

Though black form Tigers are mostly dark, on most you can still see some tiger-striping on the undersides of the wings.

Orange Co., NC 7/15/06.

This female is a rare intermediate between the yellow and black forms.

C&O Canal, Montgomery Co., MD 9/10/05.

Males are always yellow.

Male, Harnett Co., NC 8/20/05.

Eastern Tiger is easily identified most of the time in most of the state, but in the mountains the similar Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail flies during the spring.

Haywood Co., NC 7/13/05.

A puddle party.

Haywood Co., NC 5/9/08.

Egg on Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera).

Haywood Co., NC 5/10/08.

Early instar caterpillars look like a bird dropping. This caterpillar was on a leaf of one of its food plants, Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana)

Carteret Co., NC 8/26/07.

Caterpillars weave a silken pad, which you can see in this photo.

Carteret Co., NC 8/26/07.

The caterpillars generally position themselves in the center of the leaves and face upwards.

Carteret Co., NC 8/26/07.

Puddle party at the Flat River impoundment, Durham Co., NC 4/13/2003.

Flat River impoundment, Durham Co., NC 4/13/03.

The black form females are confusingly similar to Black Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, and Spicebush Swallowtail. They can be difficult to tell apart without a close look. Males are always yellow.

Harnett Co., NC 8/18/05.