Bug FAQCanadian Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio canadensis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Papilionidae
The Canadian tiger swallowtail has a wingspan of about 67 to 80 mm and is smaller than the eastern tiger swallowtail. Adults fly in spring and summer, gather in large numbers at puddles, and the species is found across most of Canada and the northern third of the United States. Caterpillars feed on poplars, aspens, cottonwoods, apple trees and black cherry.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The underside of the forewing shows a continuous yellow marginal band, and the hindwing is covered with many orange scales.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 67 to 80 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a popular puddling species; hundreds may gather at a single puddle.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on poplars, aspens and cottonwoods. They also use apple trees as host plants. Black cherry is another recorded food plant.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing in spring and summer, producing one brood. The pupae overwinter and emerge as adults in May.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults fly during spring and summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It flies across most of Canada and the northern third of the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Rare hybridization with eastern and western tiger swallowtails has been reported.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell a Canadian tiger swallowtail apart from an eastern tiger swallowtail?
Look for the smaller wingspan and the continuous yellow marginal band on the underside of the forewing; the hindwing has many orange scales.
Source: Wikipedia
When are Canadian tiger swallowtails active?
Adults are active in spring and summer, with emergence in May after overwintering pupae.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the caterpillars feed on?
They eat leaves of poplars, aspens, cottonwoods, apple trees and black cherry.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Papilionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_canadensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.