The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly is found predominately in the Southeastern part of the United States and has a huge population in Alabama. They are more visible during the spring to fall of the year.
Like many other butterflies, they are cross pollinators. They eat the nectar from flowers throughout the forest and into your front yard. To attract them, you don't have to do much but have Chinese Wisteria, Pink Mimosa Trees, and any wildflower will do.
According to Wikipedia, they mostly eat from Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. Apocynaceae is a family of flowering vines that have poisonous qualities to them, and the perriwinkle is in the same classification. Asteraceae is in the same class as the shasta daisy, the mum, and the false sunflower otherwise known as the oxeye daisy. You will find a little bit more about these listed in the npfa blog a few entries past. Fabaceae is a in the legume family is a crawling, climbing flowering pea. The Chinese Wysteria, Silk Tree (mimosa) and Partridge Pea can also be found in this family.
The Butterflies usually lay eggs that are bright green and the larvae (caterpillars) are brown and white. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly usually goes as far west as Texas, as south as the Florida Keys, and as Northeast as Vermont.
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