Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio solstitius) 

Member of Family: Papilionidae 

The taxonomy of this species was only recently described.  It occurs in a broad band across Southern and Eastern Ontario, partially overlapping the northern edge of the range of the Eastern Tiger and the southern edge of the range of the Canadian Tiger. Visually, it more closely resembles the Eastern Tiger than the Canadian Tiger.  The Canadian Tiger has a single generation that flies in the May/June time frame in most of its range (in Ontario).  The Eastern Tiger has two flights - one in May/June, and another starting near the end of July.  I coined the name "Midsummer Tiger" because across much of its range, this Tiger emerges in late June to early July - right around the time when Canadian Tigers and first generation Eastern Tigers are waning.

To see where this butterfly has been reported, visit:  The Ontario Butterfly Atlas Online

For further info on this butterfly - sometimes referred to as the "Hybrid Tiger" visit this page on the TEA website as well as this older article .