Tiger Swallowtail Egg from Yellow Female

12 years ago

I wandered the woods today checking out the things that need to be done - it's overwhelming! - and saw a yellow female tiger swallowtail flitting around some foliage. I stopped and watched as she laid an egg on what turned out to be a small wild black cherry tree. There are cherry trees of various sizes all over the woods, so there's no telling how many eggs she might have laid.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the daughters of black female tigers are black and the daughter's of yellow tigers are yellow, but I can't remember if it said they were exclusively that way or just mostly. If female tigers are ONLY the color of their mother, then if this egg is a female, I'd have a yellow female. I can't remember ever raising a yellow female, just males and black females. So I'll probably watch this egg, and bring it in to raise in a few days. Tiger eggs are so hard to see!

Here's a close-up -

I brought in four red admiral cats in their cute little nests to raise, so I'm gradually increasing my "work load" - what a great problem!

Sherry

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

bandjzmom
12 years ago
A gorgeous pearly green egg Sherry!! How blessed are you to be able to find that? Very interesting info. Hadn't heard that before. I get lots of Black females here. Isn't it Florida and Georgia that get the most of them? Seems like I read that somewhere.
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
Angie, I read somewhere that the black females are most common in the South. I used to see black gals almost all the time, and yellow females were rare, but since the hurricane (has anything been the same since then?) the yellow ones are showing up more often, still not as common as the black ones, but less rare. I think they're the prettiest, the yellow and blue look so good together.

I don't see too many tiger eggs, probably because most are laid high up. Around here, if you want to see tiger swallowtails flying, just look up!

Sherry
Related Discussions
Little Yellow Female Tiger Swallowtail
Q
Comments (10)
Sherry, Congrats on getting a yellow Tiger Swallowtail! That kind is most prevalent up here at my place, although since I started getting Pipevine Swallowtails here several years ago, I've also been seeing the black female form. I hope that you get to see many more of both the yellow form and the black form this year. I'll soon be getting ready to bring my pupas over from the outside building so I can keep an eye on them for eclosure. I have BST, Giants, and Pipevines. I'm really looking forward to digging in the garden this year and getting things ready for the beautiful butterflies. Cathy
...See More
Tiger Swallowtail Hatchling and Red-Spotted Purple Eggs!
Q
Comments (6)
Thanks, Martha! I get excited about all things lep, and when I tell my husband about finding eggs or caterpillars or seeing a new butterfly, he says, "Yes, dear"........ at least he doesn't roll his eyes in his head! :) I hope all my posts and pictures are appreciated, because I sure enjoy posting them. Sherry
...See More
Female Pipevine Swallowtail, Eggs, and Datana Major
Q
Comments (11)
I'm glad you're still raising cats, Dan! There are a good many moths whose caterpillars are beautiful, while the adult moths are plain brown things, roper. Some of the slug caterpillars, like the stinging rose cats, are quite beautiful - the adults aren't. Here's a picture I made several years ago of a dagger moth cat that I thought was quite fetching - The little pipevine swallowtail caterpillars are growly rapidly, and I released my first adult PVS from the second batch of 2014 today, a female. This will be my third batch! We've had a lot of rain lately, so maybe the pipevines will be able to keep up. Sherry
...See More
Tiger Swallowtails Laying Eggs on Sweet Bay Magnolia
Q
Comments (3)
It's good to hear your Sweetbay magnolia is paying off. It's high on my wish list, near the top right under Ptelea trifoliata. : ) Tiger's have been using my Tulip tree as a host this year but normally they don't and I've wondered if they would prefer Sweetbay here. I'm in Missouri but I think I might be in the south as far as Tigers are concerned. The females I see are almost always the dark form (Isn't that a southern trait) and I've read that they prefer Sweetbay in the south so I want to try it.
...See More
mboston_gw
12 years ago
I have never raised any Tigers as I don't have their host plant in my yard but I do often see them nectaring. By far, I see more yellow females - actually I can't recall ever seeing a black female, unless I am confusing her with another species - like either EBS or Spicebush. I think we have had this discussion before. I just know that when I see a Tiger - I look to see how much blue there is and the size. Females tend to be larger, right?
linda_tx8
12 years ago
You're right, the eggs are very difficult to spot! I'm so jealous. Usually I've seen quite a few tigers by now, but I haven't seen a single tiger this year. Except...for the Two-tailed Tiger I released two days ago, that is. Two of those had not emerged last fall and I was giving up on them. But with no others of that species around, that female I released might not be able to lay any eggs. DH says maybe my other Two-tailed Tiger chrysalis will emerge soon and will be male...hope so!
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
I hope he'll be a male, too, Linda! I love the look of the two-tailed tigers!

Mary, according to what I've read, south Florida tigers/Papilio glaucus australis occur from Ocala southward, and are a subspecies of the regular eastern tiger/Papilio glaucus. The south Florida tigers don't have a black female form, just yellow, and they only use sweetbay/Magnolia virginiana. If you could find a place for a sweetbay, maybe you'd get some eggs/cats.

Sherry
christie_sw_mo
12 years ago
Last summer was the first year that I raised Tiger Swallowtails and I don't believe I had any yellow females. I'm pretty sure they were all black but sometimes I forget.
No Tigers at all for me this year so far but it's early. I
spotted a couple swallowtails yesterday, both Black Swallowtails I think. Those are the first ones I've seen this year.
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
Tigers are harder to raise than other swallowtails, at least they have been for me, Christie. But then I don't think I've raised any this early in the year, usually I find them in summer. Maybe they like spring temps better. :/

Yes, it's still early, only March 29th! Doesn't feel like March 29th does it?

Sherry
bandjzmom
12 years ago
Sherry, I was outside last night kinda late, around 7pm. I saw a gorgeous female yellow Tiger nectating on the Phlox in my yard. I ran inside to get my camera, and of course she was gone when I returned. I don't recall seeing this many Tigers so early in the season. I wonder if this is going to be a big year for them.
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
Yes, I think it will be a big year for them, Angie - I've already seen a lot of them, mostly males, no black females so far. It's shaping up to be a big year for all butterflies, actually - so encouraging!

I've found several spicebush swallowtail eggs, the first of the season. My palamedes egg hatched, the hatchling ate the entire egg, and now it's eating a leaf. The pipevine swallowtails are growing quickly, so everything is going well!

Sherry