Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor (Linnaeus, 1771)
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).
Life History: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.
Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring (though as early as late February or March) and summer, but the butterfly is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest. Where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults ma
Caterpillar Hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.
Adult Food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.
Range: Rare stray to Canada (s. Manitoba). Tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.
Conservation: Normally not of high conservation concern, although states at northern limits have listed under state law. These listings are of dubious value where species is not a permanent resident.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Management of habitats to ensure survival of host plant colonies is the only possible concern.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 3835 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 23, 2019
Submitted by: Gruntaloob
Region: Levy County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 23, 2019
Observation date: Mar 17, 2019
Submitted by: rseidler
Region: De Soto Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 21, 2019
Observation date: Sep 30, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Cocke County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Cocke County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 19, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Cocke County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2019
Observation date: Jul 30, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2019
Observation date: Mar 07, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 14, 2019
Observation date: Feb 25, 2019
Submitted by: EleanorR
Region: Lafayette County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: Janeal W. Thompson
Region: Prowers County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 09, 2019
Observation date: Mar 30, 2013
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Charlton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 12, 2018
Observation date: Sep 15, 2018
Submitted by: LilyMoonshine
Region: Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Nov 21, 2018
Submitted by: Englishman
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 25, 2018
Observation date: Nov 02, 2018
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Oct 28, 2018
Submitted by: whbauer
Region: Comal County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Nov 02, 2018
Submitted by: marley
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2018
Observation date: Jul 12, 2014
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 12, 2018
Observation date: Jun 06, 2009
Submitted by: kwgeiger@csuchi...
Region: Butte County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 07, 2018
Observation date: Sep 02, 2018
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Chattahoochee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 04, 2018
Observation date: Oct 28, 2018
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Texas, United States, Upshur County
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 28, 2018
Observation date: Oct 07, 2016
Submitted by: elkeno
Region: New York County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 22, 2018
Observation date: Oct 19, 2018
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 21, 2018
Observation date: Oct 16, 2018
Submitted by: HSVGardenGirl
Region: Saline County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 16, 2018
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