Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor (Linnaeus, 1771)
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).
Life History: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.
Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring (though as early as late February or March) and summer, but the butterfly is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest. Where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults ma
Caterpillar Hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.
Adult Food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.
Range: Rare stray to Canada (s. Manitoba). Tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.
Conservation: Normally not of high conservation concern, although states at northern limits have listed under state law. These listings are of dubious value where species is not a permanent resident.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Management of habitats to ensure survival of host plant colonies is the only possible concern.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 3943 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 17, 2019
Submitted by: BudOhio
Region: Butler County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: BudOhio
Region: Butler County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: mdking
Region: Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: denizelaine
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Sep 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: EastKansas
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 03, 2019
Submitted by: gblkrum
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: agdsquash
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 02, 2019
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: Smalltowngirl
Region: Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 27, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: greggra
Region: Putnam County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: Bonnie Morrison
Region: Howard County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 17, 2019
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Oconee County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: ccomstoc
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 16, 2019
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2019
Observation date: Aug 06, 2019
Submitted by: Elizabeth J
Region: Abbeville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: Aug 06, 2019
Submitted by: annaskye
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Rwrigdon
Region: Houston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 02, 2019
Submitted by: Joe C Adams
Region: Georgia, United States, White County
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
- 1 of 165
- next ›