Look at this beautiful Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

The Western Tiger Swallowtail is a common butterfly of the Rocky Mountains that you have likely seen at some point.  Here are 5 fun Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly facts that you are sure to enjoy and, hopefully, learn something new.

I love to see butterflies flying around on a nice summer day.  Watching butterflies hovering in the air or sitting on a blooming wildflower is just one of those special moments about the Rockies that I just want to capture and hold in my minds eye.  Well, one of the  butterflies that I often see when I’m out hiking, camping, or just in the backyard is this big Western Tiger Swallowtail.  It’s distinctive coloring and long tails help me identify it easily.

Photo via Flickr.

5 Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Facts

This beautiful butterfly is most commonly seen in June and July in the Rocky Mountains.  However, it lives throughout much of North America and has a longer adult form in the warmer areas.  For example, in California you can see this butterfly flying for up to 6 months a year.

There are several similar swallowtail butterflies that live in the Rockies.  These include the Anise Swallowtail, and Two-Tailed Swallowtail.  You can tell them apart by their size and coloring.  The Western Tiger Swallowtail is large and has four black stripes, like a  tiger, on the front edge of its wings.  Att the back edge of its wings are two tails and just above the tails several blue spots and two orange spots.

Most butterflies that you are likely to see in the wild are not very  big.  They range in size from 1 to just over 2 inches.  One of the larger ones is the Mourning Cloak, which has a wingspan of 3 inches.  Well, the Western Tiger Swallowtail is larger than those, with a wingspan of up to 4 inches.

You can mainly find this butterfly in wooded areas near water, such as rivers or creeks.  It can also be found in meadows and neighborhood parks or gardens.

Look at those tails. Cool:) Photo via Flickr.

The back of the wings have two tails.  This it why it is called a swallowtail, because the rear of the butterflies’ wings look like the tail of a swallowtail bird.  These two tails are a super easy way to recognize a swallowtail butterfly.  Just remember that there are a few different types.