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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 9634 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 24, 2024
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 25, 2024
Observation date: Apr 16, 2024
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 17, 2024
Observation date: Sep 09, 2023
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 01, 2024
Observation date: Mar 11, 2024
Submitted by: TLee58flyinflowers
Region: Fayette County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 13, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 08, 2024
Observation date: May 07, 2023
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Richmond County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 02, 2024
Observation date: Feb 09, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2023
Submitted by: mostlynative
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 08, 2023
Observation date: Aug 27, 2023
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 05, 2023
Observation date: Oct 17, 2023
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: jcarter
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 15, 2023
Submitted by: pjohnson_cbap
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 16, 2023
Observation date: Oct 06, 2023
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 07, 2023
Observation date: Oct 04, 2023
Submitted by: Beverly Wolterbeek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 05, 2023
Observation date: Oct 03, 2023
Submitted by: Don Marotte
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 03, 2023
Observation date: Jun 11, 2023
Submitted by: LauEBSmx
Region: Mexico, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 28, 2023
Observation date: Sep 21, 2023
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 02, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Marshall County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 21, 2023
Observation date: Aug 29, 2023
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 20, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 17, 2023
Observation date: Sep 12, 2023
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2023
Observation date: Sep 07, 2023
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Mora County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 08, 2023
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