Attributes of Papilio troilus
Spicebush Swallowtail
Papilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of forewing is mostly black with ivory spots along margin. Upper surface of hindwing has orange spot on costal margin and sheen of bluish (female) or bluish-green (male) scales. Underside of hindwing with pale green marginal spots.
Wing Span: 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).
Life History: Males patrol in woods, roads and woodland edges to find receptive females. Females lay single eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in shelters of folded-over leaves and come out to feed at night. Some chrysalids from each generation hibernate.
Flight: 2 generations per year from April-October. In Florida, several generations between March-December.
Caterpillar Hosts: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum); perhaps prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), and redbay (Persea borbonia).
Adult Food: Nectar from Japanese honeysuckle, jewelweed, thistles, milkweed, azalea, dogbane, lantana, mimosa, and sweet pepperbush.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, fields, roadsides, yards, pine barrens, wooded swamps, and parks.
Range: Eastern states from southern Canada to Florida; west to Oklahoma and central Texas. Occasionally strays to North Dakota, central Colorado, and Cuba.
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.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Papilio troilus
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.
By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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June 16, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | June 17, 2013 | Details |
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June 12, 2013 | rogerashton | Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States | June 15, 2013 | Details |
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June 09, 2013 | jaybird36 | Morris County, New Jersey, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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May 18, 2013 | mom2krb | Genesee County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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June 01, 2013 | mom2krb | Erie County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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June 08, 2013 | saraheb | Davidson County, Tennessee, United States | June 10, 2013 | Details |
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August 22, 2011 | birder89 | Lawrence County, Ohio, United States | June 01, 2013 | Details |
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May 22, 2013 | painted lady | Benton County, Arkansas, United States | May 29, 2013 | Details |
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May 02, 2013 | John Many Wings | Frederick County, Maryland, United States | May 27, 2013 | Details |
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May 25, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Obion County, Tennessee, United States | May 27, 2013 | Details |
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May 18, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | May 19, 2013 | Details |
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May 12, 2013 | John Many Wings | Howard County, Maryland, United States | May 15, 2013 | Details |
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May 08, 2012 | Eric D | Oakland County, Michigan, United States | May 01, 2013 | Details |
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May 01, 2013 | stephen stedman | Jackson County, Tennessee, United States | May 01, 2013 | Details |
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April 25, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 25, 2013 | Details |
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April 22, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
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April 15, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Hardin County, Tennessee, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
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April 21, 2013 | newtothis | Ulster County, New York, United States | April 22, 2013 | Details |
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April 20, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States | April 20, 2013 | Details |
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April 16, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Houston County, Tennessee, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
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April 07, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 07, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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August 22, 2012 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | March 18, 2013 | Details |
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July 21, 2012 | MaryD | Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States | February 03, 2013 | Details |
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May 11, 2012 | birdlover53 | Calhoun County, Michigan, United States | January 30, 2013 | Details |
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July 24, 2011 | Debbie Taylor | Pope County, Arkansas, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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August 04, 2012 | LLaing | Hardin County, Texas, United States | December 26, 2012 | Details |
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September 13, 2012 | John429 | Michigan, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
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September 03, 2012 | John429 | Wayne County, Michigan, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
| March 04, 2012 | legacy.reporter (Kazuo Inagaki) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 06, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 06, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Perry County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 07, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Monroe County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 31, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 01, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 08, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 10, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 11, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Mobile County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 14, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 15, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 28, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 29, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Perry 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 | |
| May 10, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 10, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 19, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 26, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 27, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 02, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
