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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 385 - 408 of 4507 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 23, 2017
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 26, 2015
Submitted by: bsiverhus
Region: Roseau County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: Spunkybart
Region: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Aug 13, 2017
Submitted by: purplechickadee
Region: Augusta County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 18, 2020
Submitted by: Howard Nemerov
Region: Bastrop County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 30, 2009
Submitted by: Mary Franceline...
Region: Powhatan County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 08, 2012
Submitted by: Mary Franceline...
Region: Powhatan County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: May 01, 2018
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Powhatan County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Aug 26, 2015
Submitted by: Rose2
Region: Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: krantzj
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: chreliot
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2018
Submitted by: Homegardener3816
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 06, 2021
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: Karmamarie
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: cwstudio
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Fetzkorn
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 03, 2021
Observation date: Oct 30, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 01, 2021
Observation date: Feb 25, 2016
Submitted by: johnsora
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 31, 2020
Observation date: Apr 23, 2016
Submitted by: bsp2905
Region: Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Dec 28, 2020
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: Laurinia
Region: Linn County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 21, 2015
Submitted by: kerrymaura
Region: Ashe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2013
Submitted by: Tindomul1of9
Region: Madison County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Oct 05, 2016
Submitted by: wolfhoundgirl
Region: Haywood County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 31, 2017
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Oct 10, 2017
Submitted by: AEH
Region: Yancey County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
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