Pale Swallowtail

Papilio eurymedon, the pale swallowtail or pallid swallowtail, is a relatively common swallowtail butterfly found throughout much of western North America. It is found on the Pacific coast from northern Baja California to southernmost British Columbia, and inland to New Mexico and the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Spotted on Cortes Island by:

Hannu Huuskonen, Siskin Lane, May 15, 2020.

Andy Vine, Sunday, June 28, 2020, 2 p.m. at Mays Garden, Mansons Landing

Sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate between the pale swallowtail and western swallowtail. The difference between these two is the colour of the last little bright crescent above the tails:  yellow in the western tiger and orange in the pale swallowtail (C.G)!

Read more: Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility.