Wildflower Archive
Pale swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)
CC0 · iNaturalist

Pollinator

Pale swallowtail

Papilio eurymedon

The tiger swallowtail of the West, in creamy white and black.

Family
Papilionidae (swallowtails)
Wingspan
2.5 to 3.5 in (6.4 to 9 cm)
Flight season
Spring to summer
Range
Western North America
Caterpillar food
Ceanothus, wild cherry, buckthorn
Conservation
Secure and widespread

The pale swallowtail is the western counterpart of the tiger swallowtail, patterned the same way but in creamy white rather than yellow, a striking butterfly of western foothills and canyons.

It glides along streamsides and ridgelines and gathers at damp ground and flowers.

Pale swallowtail caterpillar
The green caterpillar feeds on Ceanothus and cherry. Henrik Kibak · CC BY (iNaturalist)

Caterpillars feed on Ceanothus, wild cherry, and buckthorn.

Plants for the pale swallowtail

5 caterpillar host plants and 22 documented nectar plants. Pick a role, then narrow with the filters below.

26 plants

Nectar
California poppy1 of 2
 California poppy Eschscholzia californica Host + Nectar
Chokecherry
 Chokecherry Prunus virginiana Nectar
Salal1 of 2
 Salal Gaultheria shallon Host
American plum1 of 2
 American plum Prunus americana Nectar
Wild columbine1 of 2
 Wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis Host
Fire cherry1 of 2
 Fire cherry Prunus pensylvanica Nectar
California buckeye
 California buckeye Aesculus californica Host
Blueblossom1 of 2
 Blueblossom Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Nectar
Tall goldenrod1 of 2
 Tall goldenrod Solidago altissima Nectar
Showy milkweed1 of 2
 Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Nectar
Spreading dogbane1 of 2
 Spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium Nectar
Lewis' mock orange1 of 3
 Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii Nectar
Wood Lily1 of 2
 Wood Lily Lilium philadelphicum Host
Hollyleaf cherry
 Hollyleaf cherry Prunus ilicifolia Nectar
Common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod1 of 2
 Common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod Solidago rugosa Nectar
Beavertail Pricklypear1 of 2
 Beavertail Pricklypear Opuntia basilaris Nectar
Seaside daisy1 of 2
 Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus Nectar
Western columbine1 of 3
 Western columbine Aquilegia formosa Nectar
Leopard Lily1 of 2
 Leopard Lily Lilium pardalinum Nectar
Giant red paintbrush1 of 3
 Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata Nectar
Scarlet monkeyflower1 of 2
 Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis Nectar
Western azalea1 of 3
 Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale Nectar
Humboldt's Lily1 of 2
 Humboldt's Lily Lilium humboldtii Nectar
Upland larkspur1 of 2
 Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum Nectar
Scarlet bugler1 of 3
 Scarlet bugler Penstemon centranthifolius Nectar
Fireweed
 Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium

Sources