Zebra swallowtail

Marked with bold black-and-white stripes and the longest tails of any North American butterfly, trailing red and blue, the zebra swallowtail is unmistakable and elegant.

It flies near its host, in moist woodlands and along river bottoms in the East, nectaring on blueberry, blackberry, and other early flowers.

Caterpillars feed only on pawpaw (Asimina), so this striking butterfly follows the pawpaw range.