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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 7209 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: a-o
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: Jazzejan
Region: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Jazzejan
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 07, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: Bambi E. Friedman
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 06, 2019
Observation date: Sep 03, 2019
Submitted by: ReggieGal
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: carabario
Region: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Aug 17, 2019
Submitted by: feismom09
Region: Seminole County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: Argyle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: rdcpics
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: JRoper
Region: Williamson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 27, 2019
Submitted by: Jollyjolee
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: ezettler
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Jul 04, 2017
Submitted by: JillC
Region: Shannon County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Oct 03, 2017
Submitted by: Happyatlast
Region: Morgan County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: Jupiterz7
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 26, 2019
Observation date: Sep 16, 2018
Submitted by: irishbandit
Region: Henry County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: montejosh
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: mhBenton
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 22, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Van Buren County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 06, 2019
Submitted by: greggra
Region: Wayne County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: beastbreath
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
- 1 of 301
- next ›