The males are yellow, with black tiger stripes. A large black border surrounds the edges of the wings. In Georgia, the coloring has more of an orange hint. The subspecies australis has been applied to these southeastern tiger swallowtails. Females are dimorphic.
Some female swallowtails have the same color pattern as the males, while some are completely black.
A variety of patterns between completely black, and yellow with black stripes can be seen in female swallowtails. These two extreme female colorings are thought to coexist because they both have equally beneficial effects. Reproduction Eastern tiger swallowtails reach maturity in the spring. Behavior As with most butterflies, Eastern tiger swallowtails tend to be solitary. It is believed that the moisture found by these males helps cool them by initiating an active-transport pump.