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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 313 - 336 of 4507 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: Bruce Bolin
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Oct 01, 2021
Submitted by: Bruce Bolin
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Nov 02, 2021
Submitted by: Bruce Bolin
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 28, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: rabbitrun
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Apr 11, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Apr 18, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Apr 30, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 05, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Oct 28, 2021
Submitted by: Rmclaughlin
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: bchtown
Region: Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Aug 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Oct 20, 2021
Submitted by: Rmclaughlin
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 28, 2021
Observation date: Jul 25, 2021
Submitted by: rabbitrun
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 24, 2021
Submitted by: beebee59
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 03, 2021
Submitted by: Lrcartee
Region: Cole County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 26, 2021
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 28, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: Sapper Dan
Region: Bell County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 04, 2021
Submitted by: tmosebey
Region: Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 23, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 14 of 188
- next ›