The Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly    

The Zebra Swallowtail butterfly is a common butterfly with distinctive black and white markings. The Zebra Swallowtail has a wingspan of about 3.75-4.5 inches (9.5-11.5 cm).

The Zebra Swallowtail is found from Southern Ontario, Canada, Minnesota and Wisconsin to New England to Florida and the Gulf States.

It starts life as a tiny egg that hatches into a yellow-green caterpillar with black and yellow stripes. This caterpillar gives off a bad smell that keeps some predators (like wasps) away. After eating (pawpaw is the larval hot plant) and growing, the caterpillar becomes a pupa and eventually emerges as a fully-grown adult. Adult butterflies do not have jaws; they can only sip liquid nectar through a straw-like proboscis.