In the landscape.
Plants & places
Gardens near deciduous woodland. Flat Rock is the filename locality; no exact observation coordinates are available.
A sensible first response
Plant a succession of native nectar flowers and retain native hardwoods. A clear upper and underside wing photograph would help resolve the species.
When to look
Filename date: June 5. Date and mountain location alone cannot identify which tiger swallowtail species is present.
Identification
IMG_9198 shows a dark swallowtail with long tails, pale marginal spots, orange-toned hindwing markings, and faint forewing banding visible through the dark ground color. These favor a dark female tiger swallowtail.
Lookalikes & limits
The flowers obscure key wing areas. Eastern and Appalachian tiger swallowtails both have dark females; this image does not securely separate them. The filename’s Eastern Tiger Swallowtail label is retained only as the original hypothesis.
In the garden
Adult flower visitor, with a caterpillar stage tied to woody host plants. Both nectar and larval habitat matter in a wildlife garden.