A zebra in Missouri

This butterfly is called a zebra swallowtail. It has markings reminiscent of a zebra. In Southeast Missouri the zebra swallowtail is less common than many other kinds of butterflies such as the tiger swallowtail or pipe-vine butterfly. The tail at the end of each of its wings is about an inch long.

In this picture the butterfly is tending to a native North American wildflower known as the yellow puccoon. The zebra swallowtail relies heavily on the paw paw tree which is the primary host plant for the zebra swallowtail caterpillars.