Flutter & Discover Facts!
- Swallowtails have hind wings with long, pointy tips that look just like the long feathers of a swallow bird.
- Swallowtails are some of the largest butterflies in North America, with wings that can stretch wider than a kid’s open hand!
- The beautiful, bright yellow two-tailed Swallowtail was named the official state butterfly of New Mexico in 2004.
- When they are just caterpillars, some swallowtails have huge, fake eye-spots on their backs that make them look like a scary green snake.
- If a caterpillar gets scared, it pokes out a hidden, bright orange Y-shaped antenna from its head that shoots out a super stinky smell to drive predators away.
- When they land on a flower to drink sweet nectar, they keep their giant wings fluttering and shaking rapidly to stay balanced on the petals.
- On hot desert days, Swallowtail butterflies will gather around damp mud to drink water and slurp up healthy minerals together.
- In New Mexico, you can find the bright yellow Western Tiger Swallowtail with black stripes, or the deep black Black Swallowtail with rows of yellow and blue dots.
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High Desert Helpers is sponsored through the Trails+ Grant Program by the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division.
