Identification: Upper surface of male forewing with narrow black stripes. Each hindwing has 2 tails. Wing Span: 3 1/2 - 5 inches (9 - 12.7 cm). Life History: Males patrol stream courses or city streets for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves of host plant. Caterpillars eat leaves and rest on silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Chrysalids hibernate. Flight: One flight May to mid-August in North, most of year in South. Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of ash (Fraxinus), hop tree (Ptelea), and chokecherry (Prunus). Adult Food: Nectar from thistles, milkweeds, California buckeye, lilac, and many others. Habitat: Foothill slopes and canyons, moist valleys, streamsides, woodlands, parks, roadsides, suburbs, and cities. Range: Western North America south from British Columbia, east to central Nebraska and central Texas, south through Mexico. Conservation: Not usually required.

Fred Heath - The three tails of a Three-tailed are all much longer and the black stripes in the wing are much wider. Although it may not mean much, there are two old suspicious records in Arizona and none for Sonora. The only place where there are accepted records for the U.S. are in Texas.

Santa Catalina Mountains
Prison Camp.
Location: On campground road near last campsite on left.
9/20/17

See Butterflies and Moths of North America Pictures and Description