Arizona is home to a plethora of different bugs, but did you know we have an official state insect? It’s the two-tailed swallowtail – a beautiful butterfly that’s an absolute marvel to behold.
Sporting vibrant yellow wings and black tiger stripes, the two-tailed swallowtail is the official insect of Arizona.
Flickr/Alan Schmierer It’s the largest swallowtail in western North America, with a wingspan of up to 6.5 inches.
Much like other striped swallowtail species, the two-tailed swallowtail has an orange eyespot on each hindwing.
Flickr/Trish Hamme This fools predators into attacking the rear of the butterfly, affording it a chance to escape.
With an appearance similar to that of western and eastern tiger swallowtails, the two-tailed swallowtail needs a trained eye to spot.
Flickr/Adam Schmierer Among the key distinguishing factors are narrower black stripes, two tails on each hindwing as opposed to one, and a black “slit pupil” in the eyespot.
Common habitats for the two-tailed swallowtail include streams, moist valleys, canyons, and lower elevation cities.
Flickr/Tony Hisgett You’ll see the insect from Guatemala to the western U.S. to as far up as Saskatchewan.
Host plants include chokecherry, bitter cherry, Arizona rosewood, single-leaf ash, hoptree, and Arizona sycamore.
Wikimedia Commons/Nadiatalent The butterflies also use green ash planted along city streets.
Two-tailed swallowtail caterpillars emerge in May, after folding the leaves of the host plant, tying them together with silk, and eating from the structure.
Wikimedia Commons/Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Adults fly during spring and summer in one brood.
Females tend to be larger and more brightly colored than their male counterparts, donning more blue and orange markings on their hindwings.
Flickr/Alan Schmierer The two-tailed swallowtail doesn’t typically crossbreed with related species, unlike the western, eastern, and Canadian tiger swallowtails.
Have you ever seen a two-tailed swallowtail? Tell us what you think about the Arizona state insect, and check out our previous article to learn about more bugs to keep an eye out for: These 10 Bugs Found In Arizona Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine.
Flickr/Alan Schmierer
It’s the largest swallowtail in western North America, with a wingspan of up to 6.5 inches.
Flickr/Trish Hamme
This fools predators into attacking the rear of the butterfly, affording it a chance to escape.
Flickr/Adam Schmierer
Among the key distinguishing factors are narrower black stripes, two tails on each hindwing as opposed to one, and a black “slit pupil” in the eyespot.
Flickr/Tony Hisgett
You’ll see the insect from Guatemala to the western U.S. to as far up as Saskatchewan.
Wikimedia Commons/Nadiatalent
The butterflies also use green ash planted along city streets.
Wikimedia Commons/Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
Adults fly during spring and summer in one brood.
The two-tailed swallowtail doesn’t typically crossbreed with related species, unlike the western, eastern, and Canadian tiger swallowtails.
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