Scientists are seeking the public’s help to learn more about one of the largest species of butterflies in North America that until recently was overlooked by science: the Appalachian Swallowtail.

It was not until 2002 that scientists realized it was its own species due to its similarity to the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Despite DNA tests, some lepidopterists are still debating whether the butterfly is a unique species or a subspecies of the Tiger swallowtail.

Little is known about the natural history of the Appalachian Swallowtail. Scientists are most interested in finding out the “host plant” — the plant or tree that the Appalachian Swallowtails lay their eggs on and that the caterpillars eat. Scientists hope the public could help spot the butterfly laying its eggs and thereby help identify the butterfly’s host, according to Jason Love, the citizen science director at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

“You can help us out by sending good pictures of yellow swallowtails, location of the swallowtail (coordinates from a GPS unit are best, but detailed descriptions also work), the date, your name, and any other information about the butterfly,” Lowe said. “We are especially interested in finding its host plant, so if you see a yellow swallowtail laying eggs on a plant, try to identify the plant or take a good picture of it so that naturalists at Tremont might be able to identify it.”

The Appalachian Swallowtail only goes through one lifecycle a year. Some butterfly species fit in more than one of these lifecycles in a year, also called broods, but the Appalachian Swallowtail has just one, with the adult butterfly emerging between March and June.

Information on any yellow swallowtails could help. Host plants of other species are known, so if a yellow swallowtail is spotted laying eggs on a tree not thought to host any of the other known swallowtail species, it could be the Appalachian Swallowtail. Send pictures or information to Lowe at Jason@gsmit.org.