The color of the eastern tiger swallowtail can vary. Males are yellow or yellow-orange with black tiger stripes.
Female colors can range from the yellow of the male to an almost solid blueish-black.
The eastern tiger swallowtail can be found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains from Ontario south to the Gulf coast and northern Mexico. The eastern tiger swallowtail lives in deciduous woods along streams, rivers and swamps. Eastern tiger swallowtail larvae eat the leaves of a variety of woody plants including wild cherry, tulip, birch, ash, cottonwood and willow. Adults eat the nectar of flowers from a variety of plants. Papilio Females lay eggs on leaves of woody plants.