08/25/2026
🦋 Two swallowtails. Two very different looks AND two very different shopping lists!
The black beauty is a Black Swallowtail, while the yellow-and-black butterfly is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Both are gorgeous and both need more than flowers to complete their life cycle.
🌿 Black Swallowtails need plants in the carrot family for their caterpillars. Native Golden Alexander is a great choice, along with garden favorites like dill and parsley.
🌳 Eastern Tiger Swallowtails lay their eggs on woody plants, including wild cherry, willow, and many other native trees and shrubs.
And then, of course, there are the flowers! The adults are generalists, but these are stopping by for nectar from plants like the Joe-Pye W**d and Purple Coneflower you see in these photos 💚
So if you're planting for butterflies, think caterpillar food AND butterfly food. That's when your garden really starts doing some work 🐛➡️🦋