Its distinctive wing shape and long tails make it easy to identify, and its black-and-white-striped pattern is reminiscent of a zebra. It is native to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada. It is also the state butterfly of Tennessee. The butterflies are closely associated with pawpaws, and are rarely found far from these trees. The green or black caterpillars feed on the leaves of various pawpaw species, while the adults feed on flower nectar and minerals from damp soil. The zebra swallowtail caterpillar feeds on species within the genus Asimina (Pawpaw). Commonly used species include slimleaf pawpaw (A. angustifolia), woolly pawpaw (A. incana), smallflower pawpaw (A. parviflora), netted pawpaw (A. reticulata), four-petal pawpaw (A. tetramera), and common pawpaw (A. triloba). Caterpillars ingest neurotoxic chemicals called annonaceous acetogenins from their host plants, which are retained in the body tissues of both the caterpillar and the adult, and may help chemically protect the butterfly from birds.