Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)

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DISTRIBUTION in North Carolina: Essentially statewide, but only a few records for the northern mountains and the extreme northwestern Piedmont. Might be a migrant or vagrant to some mountain counties, as foodplants may be lacking at mid- and higher elevations.
ABUNDANCE in North Carolina: Somewhat local in occurrence; may be quite common in a few places where the foodplant -- pawpaw -- is abundant, such as in the Great Dismal Swamp and at Pettigrew State Park. Generally uncommon to locally fairly common in the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont, but rare to locally uncommon in the western half of the Piedmont. In the mountains, generally limited to areas below 2500 feet; even in these lower elevations, it is rare to uncommon.
FLIGHT PERIOD in North Carolina: Mid-March to mid-September; scarce after mid-August. Apparently three broods, at least downstate; the first brood is from March to mid-May, the second brood from mid-May to early July, and a small brood from mid-July into September. Does not appear in the mountains until April, and the flight periods are very poorly known there. The first brood is the largest in most areas (even though the state's highest counts are from the second brood).
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Distribution, abundance, flight period, and map information provided by Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina.
Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) 05/30/06 · Ashe County, NC
Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) 05/30/06 · Ashe County, NC