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 200 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 10, 2012 | rcabrasley | Okaloosa County, Florida, United States | May 14, 2012 | Details |
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May 05, 2012 | jftrahan | St Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States | May 14, 2012 | Details |
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May 12, 2012 | kiki | Hillsborough County, Florida, United States | May 14, 2012 | Details |
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August 06, 2011 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | May 13, 2012 | Details |
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May 12, 2012 | Mary M | Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States | May 13, 2012 | Details |
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May 05, 2012 | jasers | Wake County, North Carolina, United States | May 07, 2012 | Details |
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May 14, 2011 | cobal2913 | Fairfield County, Ohio, United States | May 07, 2012 | Details |
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May 18, 2011 | cobal2913 | Franklin County, Ohio, United States | May 07, 2012 | Details |
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April 29, 2012 | Cheryl Jennings | Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States | April 30, 2012 | Details |
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April 28, 2012 | Natalie P. | Peoria County, Illinois, United States | April 29, 2012 | Details |
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April 25, 2012 | Blue Beauty | Ontario, Canada | April 28, 2012 | Details |
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April 25, 2012 | Blue Beauty | Ontario, Canada | April 28, 2012 | Details |
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April 17, 2012 | Molanic | Du Page County, Illinois, United States | April 18, 2012 | Details |
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January 23, 2012 | Stu Hoar | Brown County, Wisconsin, United States | April 15, 2012 | Details |
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August 13, 2011 | Chip Krilowicz | Hudson County, New Jersey, United States | April 15, 2012 | Details |
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April 12, 2012 | Nancy Weiss | Albemarle County, Virginia, United States | April 15, 2012 | Details |
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April 11, 2012 | John van Dort | Francisco Morazán, Honduras | April 15, 2012 | Details |
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April 07, 2012 | Cheryl Jennings | Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States | April 11, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2007 | Jessica Womack | Fannin County, Texas, United States | April 02, 2012 | Details |
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March 27, 2012 | George Sims | Douglas County, Missouri, United States | March 30, 2012 | Details |
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March 21, 2012 | KarenL | Maury County, Tennessee, United States | March 29, 2012 | Details |
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March 13, 2012 | George Sims | Douglas County, Missouri, United States | March 17, 2012 | Details |
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January 27, 2012 | floridagebert | Brevard County, Florida, United States | February 27, 2012 | Details |
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September 20, 2011 | Rhonda Broadway | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | January 22, 2012 | Details |
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July 04, 2011 | gailadams | Garland County, Arkansas, United States | January 03, 2012 | Details |
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August 23, 2011 | transam21 | Washington County, Minnesota, United States | December 31, 2011 | Details |
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September 27, 2011 | mrsfoster301 | Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States | December 24, 2011 | Details |
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November 14, 2011 | mimijoyce | Virginia, Virginia Beach County, United States | December 24, 2011 | Details |
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August 27, 2011 | Kyle Jones | Windsor County, Vermont, United States | December 23, 2011 | Details |
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September 12, 2011 | Kyle Jones | Windsor County, Vermont, United States | December 12, 2011 | Details |
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September 15, 2011 | Ejaramil | Polk County, Iowa, United States | December 10, 2011 | Details |
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October 31, 2011 | jburgie | Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States | December 10, 2011 | Details |
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September 14, 2011 | rfalkenburg | Fayette County, Kentucky, United States | November 20, 2011 | Details |
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September 17, 2011 | guy_incognito | Cook County, Illinois, United States | November 14, 2011 | Details |
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September 28, 2011 | George Sims | Douglas County, Missouri, United States | October 28, 2011 | Details |
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October 04, 2011 | rjcohrs | Hancock County, Indiana, United States | October 22, 2011 | Details |
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September 04, 2011 | marquy | Wayne County, Michigan, United States | October 17, 2011 | Details |
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September 16, 2011 | Suziesmiles | Ionia County, Michigan, United States | October 17, 2011 | Details |
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September 27, 2011 | KarenL | Williamson County, Tennessee, United States | October 05, 2011 | Details |
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May 13, 2011 | Joe Schelling--entered by M ODonnell | Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States | September 26, 2011 | Details |
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September 01, 2011 | amykat | Henrico County, Virginia, United States | September 21, 2011 | Details |
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September 12, 2011 | amykat | Henrico County, Virginia, United States | September 21, 2011 | Details |
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April 28, 2011 | rseidler | Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States | September 19, 2011 | Details |
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September 09, 2011 | rconnorsphoto | Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States | September 16, 2011 | Details |
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June 25, 2011 | sara0401 | Coffey County, Kansas, United States | September 14, 2011 | Details |
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September 13, 2011 | Jane Welch-Maiolo | Lucas County, Ohio, United States | September 14, 2011 | Details |
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July 23, 2010 | jwunder3 | Orange County, Florida, United States | September 11, 2011 | Details |
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September 05, 2011 | cabinndawoods | Boone County, Missouri, United States | September 11, 2011 | Details |
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September 07, 2011 | jim8435wisc | Calumet County, Wisconsin, United States | September 10, 2011 | Details |
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August 21, 2011 | shepherdsong | Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States | September 10, 2011 | Details |
