Attributes of Papilio polyxenes
Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes Fabricius, 1775
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.
Flight: One-2 flights from April-October in northern regions of range; 3 flights in southern regions.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.
Habitat: A variety of open areas including fields, suburbs, marshes, deserts, and roadsides.
Range: Most of the eastern U.S., north into Quebec, west into s. Saskatchewan, Colorado and se. California; south to n. South America. Subspecies coloro in desert Southwest.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Maintain open fields in East.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Papilio polyxenes
Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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May 18, 2013 | curtis.lehman | Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States | May 19, 2013 | Details |
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May 08, 2013 | John Many Wings | Frederick County, Maryland, United States | May 15, 2013 | Details |
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May 13, 2013 | Acosta | Ontario, Canada | May 13, 2013 | Details |
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May 09, 2013 | HClenin | Lafayette County, Missouri, United States | May 12, 2013 | Details |
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May 09, 2013 | BSaylor | Wayne County, Ohio, United States | May 10, 2013 | Details |
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April 09, 2013 | telephonec | Texas, Travis County, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
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April 23, 2013 | whbauer | Bexar County, Texas, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | Mightynewmommy | Comanche County, Texas, United States | April 21, 2013 | Details |
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April 19, 2013 | whbauer | Blanco County, Texas, United States | April 20, 2013 | Details |
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April 19, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 19, 2013 | Details |
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April 09, 2013 | liasynthis | Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
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July 30, 2012 | TiggersMomma | Monroe County, Indiana, United States | April 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 10, 2013 | Nymphalis antiopa | Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States | April 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 12, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 12, 2013 | Details |
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April 05, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 10, 2013 | Details |
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August 02, 2011 | ingodsgarden | Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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August 04, 2011 | catharinejo | Jackson County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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May 23, 2012 | janet tubb | Ontario, Canada | April 01, 2013 | Details |
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March 16, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
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March 20, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
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March 18, 2013 | SLine | Dallas County, Texas, United States | March 18, 2013 | Details |
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March 13, 2013 | sallyatticum | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 14, 2013 | Details |
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March 06, 2013 | Sherrie | Harris County, Texas, United States | March 07, 2013 | Details |
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May 27, 2012 | ShelleyTim | Quebec, Canada | February 18, 2013 | Details |
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August 16, 2010 | dpgbfly1 | Isanti County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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July 17, 2012 | LinRandolph | Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
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September 11, 2010 | Debbie Taylor | Pope County, Arkansas, United States | January 02, 2013 | Details |
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November 01, 2012 | Anita Whipple | Lewis County, Tennessee, United States | December 02, 2012 | Details |
| July 03, 2012 | legacy.reporter (O. Shields-R Wells) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| September 11, 1984 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 29, 1992 | legacy.reporter (Robert L. Langston) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 21, 1990 | legacy.reporter (William Swisher) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 01, 1981 | legacy.reporter (Jim Mori) | Coconino County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 13, 1981 | legacy.reporter (Clifford D. Ferris) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 19, 1981 | legacy.reporter (Clifford D. Ferris) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 16, 1985 | legacy.reporter (Clifford D. Ferris) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 17, 1990 | legacy.reporter (William S. Swisher) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| February 12, 1977 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| November 21, 1977 | legacy.reporter (unknown) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 01, 1991 | legacy.reporter (Ray Stanford) | Yavapai County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 21, 1998 | legacy.reporter (Ray Stanford) | Greenlee County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 07, 1999 | legacy.reporter (J. Vernon-R. Langston) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 18, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 24, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 05, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Lawrence County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 06, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 11, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 25, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 21, 2003 | legacy.reporter (T. Carr & J Tuttle) | Mohave County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 23, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Nick Block) | Mohave County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
