Two-tailed Swallowtail
Papilio multicaudata W.F. Kirby, 1884
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
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.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 1029 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2017
Submitted by: J Rachwalski
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Sep 19, 2022
Submitted by: Pricemommy
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 18, 2022
Observation date: Oct 02, 2015
Submitted by: ArturoCruz
Region: Mexico, Mexico
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2019
Submitted by: Claude Rioux
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: May 26, 2018
Submitted by: Claire Christensen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: Stacy Lynn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2022
Submitted by: Zorzetti
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: helenmb
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 26, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: Hollyberrybug68
Region: Ravalli County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: vikki
Region: Musselshell County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: ngpBAM14
Region: Garfield County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2022
Submitted by: heinert
Region: Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 08, 2022
Submitted by: RoxannaTessman
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: May 26, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: White Pine County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 27, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: Jul 17, 2022
Submitted by: Wendelin
Region: Chouteau County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
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