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 4305 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: mfernandabarraza
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 02, 2023
Observation date: Jul 19, 2022
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 13, 2022
Observation date: Apr 04, 2019
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Mar 25, 2022
Submitted by: pamelmmc
Region: Galveston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 10, 2022
Observation date: Sep 23, 2022
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 15, 2022
Observation date: Nov 12, 2022
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, United States, Wichita County
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 12, 2022
Observation date: Feb 19, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 31, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 31, 2022
Observation date: Oct 16, 2022
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 31, 2022
Observation date: Oct 24, 2022
Submitted by: ObserverofGod'sart
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 26, 2022
Observation date: Oct 23, 2022
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2022
Observation date: Oct 22, 2022
Submitted by: SamanthaI
Region: Bell County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2022
Observation date: Sep 18, 2022
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 23, 2022
Observation date: Jan 16, 2018
Submitted by: NBBAM
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 16, 2022
Observation date: Feb 24, 2022
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2022
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 01, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: theskyeworld
Region: Bastrop County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 29, 2022
Observation date: Sep 24, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kay County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Sep 23, 2022
Submitted by: J Tinsman
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2015
Submitted by: ArturoCruz
Region: Mexico, Mexico
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2022
Submitted by: disakson
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
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