Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) is a medium-large butterfly, with a wingspan of 2.5 to 3.5 inches. In our local area, it can be seen April through August. Numbers peak in May-June. Hosts plants include Cherry (Prunus emarginata), Coffee-berry (Rhamnus californica), and Ash (Fraxinus). Adults live for 6-14 days.
Pale Swallowtail is quite similar to Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), but can be distinguished by its much lighter color. Western Tiger Swallowtails are a deeper yellow. (Sometimes, of course, adjudicating the color can be a difficult judgment call, but there are also subtle differences in the pattern. It doesn’t help, though, that the two species can hybridize.)
Pale Swallowtails, like Western Tiger Swallowtails, are strong flyers and land only rarely. For that reason, they are under-represented in photograph-based databases like iNaturalist.
This butterfly is found only in North America.
