In central Pennsylvania, I’m likely to encounter an eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) from late spring through early fall, and that’s a true pleasure because it is a large and beautiful butterfly.
Although I’m just as likely to see one in my backyard, I encountered the tiger swallowtail below in the bordering game land, not too far inside of it either. (Yes, truly convenient for walking and photography.)
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Sometimes I’d be walking along and see a tiger swallowtail approaching from the distance ahead. (Yes, they’re easy to see from a long ways away, relatively speaking.) I stop and wait. Will the swallowtail pause anywhere near me? That occasionally happens, but a tiger swallowtail intent on business can zoom by and disappear in the opposite direction. They’re strong flyers.
The reverse can also happen: The tiger swallowtail lands opposite me. Opportunity!
![](https://i0.wp.com/lookoutnow.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/b4275-tiger-st-sem-up-27jun2022.jpg?resize=640%2C576&ssl=1)
Rarely – very rarely – a tiger swallowtail lands too close to me, and I cannot fit all the butterfly in the photo frame. That’s a form of irony, since I have to be careful (when backing away) as not to alarm the swallowtail. Any butterfly is sensitive to movement and will fly away in an instant.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lookoutnow.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/b4278-tiger-st-op-27jun2022.jpg?resize=640%2C544&ssl=1)
This particular tiger swallowtail totally ignored me, and so I was free to take a variety of photos from every angle. True cooperation!