- Commonly, a southeastern US species, rarely seen in Massachusetts. Host plant is Pawpaw, which at least two residents in my town grow. Clearly, it’s working to attract ZS!
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Eliza Waters 
What a gorgeous setting for any butterfly to pose in — but this is a special butterfly, too!
Thank you, it was a very special treat to see.
pretty
Thank you!
Beautiful
Merci!
Gorgeous! Oh, how lucky you were to see this, and then to get such a great shot of it too! 💕
Thanks, Cathy. I scrambled for my camera double-time, you can bet! I knew it was a rarity.
Hi Eliza .
What a beauty and what a wonderful name! Mary Jane
Thank you, MJ. A real beauty!
I would love a few visitors like this! 🦋
Definitely felt special! 💕
this is such a spectacular image ELiza. The perfect butterfly with those daisys!!❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, Catherine. This one was very cooperative. 🙂
Love it! Looks like it’s range doesn’t extend to where I am, unless a strong wind blows it off course. I have paw paws, just in case!
In one of the articles, it listed Ontario as a region that they are found. You just need a few specimens to start a colony!
North shore of Lake Erie, possibly as far east as Toronto…I’m still a few hundred kms east if that…but I think? Weather-wise, we’re usually about the same so who knows… 🙂
Fingers crossed!
That’s a welcome visitor for sure!
Purely delightful! Thanks, Judy.
Common in the southeast perhaps, but I’ve never seen one. Lucky you! It’s beautiful, and looks undamaged. Perhaps it emerged in your garden.
No pawpaw here, but the two plantings I know of are about a mile away. It looked fresh to me as well, but at this late time of year, I wonder about its survival these frosty nights. A treat all the same.
Oh what a delight Eliza, worth every flower to see 🤗❤️🙏
Thank you, Mark. Very special!
A very pretty ‘Zebra’…it looks like there are red hearts on the wings. Definitely late for a Butterfly. I know someone near Baltimore, MD, who planted some Pawpaws this year…I wonder if they know to hopefully expect these visitors…I’ll let them know.
Thanks, Alice. It is their only host plant, so ‘if you [plant] it, they will come!’
Wowsah! What a thrill it must have been to see that beauty.
It truly was, previously only seen on others’ blogs! 🙂
Such a thrill!
Wow! How beautiful!
Definitely a rare treat! 🤩
Magnificent 🙌🏼🤩😎
Thank you, Susan!
A beautiful butterfly. You are lucky to have seen and photographed it. I hope it heads south before the cold.
Thank you. It does seem like the weather isn’t in its favor. I wonder if it was fooled into thinking that the Second Summer weather (in the 70s) we’ve had this week, after two months of cooler than average weather, was Spring.
Lucky butterfly to find some flowers, lucky you to have captured that, and lucky us that you shared!
🙂 Thanks, Tina. It was quite fortuitous that I happened to have just stepped outside as it flitted by!
Wow, lovely butterfly. (Suzanne)
Thank you, Suzanne. Very special!
Wow, how awesome!
Thanks, Donna. Do you see them and pawpaws in your area?
Yes, we have several swallowtail species, including the Zebra. I don’t know the host plants but I know you will. Here’s one of my best photos of the Zebra (at end of post) https://bayphotosbydonna.com/2022/08/21/more-butterflies-at-eastern-neck-nwr/ 😊
Gorgeous butterflies! 🦋
Thank you, Eliza!
Gorgeous butterfly and lovely daisies! I wonder if our changing climate has the butterfly species wandering furhttps://krispgarden.blogspot.com/ther afield?
Thanks, Kris! I wondered that myself. Historically, apparently there were more pawpaws around, but it is possible human intervention destroyed its habitat. There seems to be some movement towards restoring more natives that support wildlife and pawpaws certainly do that. I’ve tasted the fruit and it is rather underwhelming. Texture like a mushy banana/mango without much flavor! The seeds are almond-shaped and a lovely chestnut brown.
Oh gosh…what a strikingly beautiful specimen!
Thank you, Monika. Looked freshly eclosed, I wished him/her well.
Wow what a beautiful visitor Eliza! 💖 xxx
Thank you, Xenia. A very handsome fellow, for sure!
Wow! Great catch.
Thank you, Alys!
WOW! How delightful it decided to pose on the beautiful and pure white daisy!
Excellent capture, my friend.
Thank you, Dale… makes me glad I planted that mum there last fall. 🙂
Seriously! What a welcome visit it has brought!
🙂 Doubly rewarding!
Indeed!
Oh wow, very nice! Great photo. I haven’t seen zebra swallowtails here in Wisconsin, although some sightings have been reported. Their natural range extends to the WI/IL border. But I have seen them during travels, particularly in Florida. Fun. 🙂
Beth @ PlantPostings.com
Thank you, Beth!
Wow, great photo
Thank you very much, Diana!
So pretty! What month did you see this?
This was just this past Monday! Kind of late for butterflies!
Excellent image, and what a find. I’m a member of the Mass Butterfly Club, I don’t see a record of one in club listings.
Thanks, Tom. Wow, pretty cool. When I looked at its range map, MA was not even close. Should I report the sighting somewhere?
You could join the Google group MassLep and report it there. I think it would create a stir!
I spoke with a farmer today, who told me both she and another farmer have planted pawpaws, so that makes four plantings (at least) in town. Pretty exciting that I might see more in the future.
Beautiful visitor and photo!!🙂
Thank you, I was thrilled! 🤩
Oh, what a great visit – I’m so glad you were there at the right time to see it!
Me, too. One of life’s great pleasures!
I’ve never seen one — and what a beauty this one is!!
Thank you, Debbie. I was pretty excited to see it!
That picture is beautiful and a neat surprise as it comes into view on the screen. JessieMay
Thank you, JessieMay! Glad you liked it. 🙂
What a wonderful winged wonder, Eliza. You must be thrilled to have seen (and photographed) it so well!
Thank you, Tanja. Love the apropos alliteration: ‘wonderful winged wonder’ it certainly was. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thank you, Cindy!
What a divine little… actually pretty big… visitor!
Linda 🙂
Thank you, Linda. It was a delight to see it!
🌞
It’s a butterfly with a common name whose first word references a mammal and whose second word references a bird.
Yes!
It’s gorgeous, love the Swallowtail!
Thank you, Dina!
What a beauty
Thank you, I was amazed (and a bit worried) seeing it so late in the season. I think the unseasonably warm weather may have triggered its eclosing.
Beautiful flowers and the Butterfly is a rare sight. Thank you ❤ ❤ ❤
Thank you, Deepa!
Wow, is this now (late October)?
Yes, not great timing… we are getting frosts nearly every night now. Fingers crossed for this little one.
It was a while ago I saw a butterfly. We are also seeing colder nights. The days are still warm(ish) though.
Same here, those temps and clear skies made for a great foliage season.
What a great image Eliza!!! I love it!
Gracias, Maria!
Wow! What an exciting discovery!
Common in your area, so rare here. I was glad I got to see it. Thanks, Barbara!
It may be common here but I don’t think I’ve seen one yet.
Find some pawpaws, that is their larval host plant.
Great capture of this appropriately named butterfly!
Thank you, Denise. I was glad I was able to catch it before it disappeared!
I have planted spice bush, parsley, and swamp milkweed to attract specific butterflies to my garden with good success. I would love to have zebra swallowtails visit the yard, but a paw paw tree is probably out of the question because I image the fruit would attract all sorts of mammals and birds harmful to my garden. 😦
You’ll have to get the local nature reserve to plant some!
What a stunner, and even more exciting that it is rare in your area!
Thank you, Carol. It was certainly a thrilling sight!