It doesn’t take much guessing to know that the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly resembles a zebra.

Distinctively black-and-white striped, the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly is considered a rather common butterfly and is found in Southern Ontario, Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, the Gulf States and New England.

Other distinctive markings on the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly are the long tails on its hind wings and the touches of red and blue as hind wing markings.

The Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly is called a “Swallowtail” because its long, pointed hind wings resemble the tail of the Swallow bird.  Its wingspan is about 3 – 4.5 inches.

The host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly is the Pawpaw.  The female Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly lays one egg at a time on single Pawpaw leafs.  The egg is very pale green.  When a caterpillar emerges from the egg, it is greenish-yellow with black and yellow stripes.  The caterpillar has a natural foul smell (YIKES!) that wards off predators such as spiders and ants.  The caterpillar feeds on the Pawpaw leaves, becomes a pupa and emerges as a Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly.

The adult Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly sips liquid nectar through its proboscis.

Introduce your kids to the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly.  It’s easy to remember because it’s a zebra look-alike.

One more little tidbit to share about the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly is that its caterpillar is cannibalistic… meaning it eats other Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars.  YIKES! This is why the female lays only one egg per Pawpaw leaf.  Pretty clever, huh?