Pawpaw Trees and Zebra Swallowtails

Guess what? I was in the garden one evening. I know…what a shocker!

All joking aside, I spotted a Zebra Swallowtail that evening. Only the second one I’ve seen in the garden this year, and maybe the fifth or sixth one I’ve ever seen in the garden.

It got me thinking about symbiotic relationships and this crazy world we live in. Why symbiotic relationships? Because I know that Zebra Swallowtails feed on pawpaw trees. In fact, pawpaws are the only host plant for Zebra Swallowtails. Why crazy world? Because I think about all the development going on in cities and suburbs and rural areas and wonder how many people know that, without pawpaw trees, there will be no Zebra Swallowtails. What a shame that would be – they are some of the most beautiful butterflies I’ve ever seen.

Zebra Swallowtail on Butterfly Bush

Love those colors

Check out that long, thin tail

Live in an older neighborhood, I’m sure there’s a stand of pawpaw trees somewhere within butterfly flying distance, just not sure where. I think I’ll ask my neighbor, who has lived in the neighborhood most of his life, next time I see him.

Want to Learn More?

• Zebra Swallowtail – Eurytides marcellus
• Connections: The Pawpaw Tree and the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly