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 409 - 432 of 4507 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 20, 2017
Submitted by: ChrissyL
Region: Avery County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 06, 2018
Submitted by: dcisney
Region: Madison County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 30, 2018
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2018
Submitted by: magnolyah
Region: Macon County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2018
Submitted by: GMMagee
Region: Jackson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: May 12, 2019
Submitted by: Brritscold
Region: Guilford County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: pegasus563
Region: Catawba County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2019
Submitted by: gs.strick
Region: Swain County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: ADPanvini
Region: Henderson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Haywood County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Haywood County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: mabirds
Region: Haywood County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Sep 23, 2020
Submitted by: TomJ
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Sep 26, 2020
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2020
Observation date: Sep 26, 2020
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Nov 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Steve Altic
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 30, 2020
Observation date: Oct 13, 2020
Submitted by: BernieM
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 25, 2020
Observation date: Mar 11, 2018
Submitted by: SVOV
Region: Solano County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 24, 2020
Observation date: Oct 09, 2020
Submitted by: LDonadio74
Region: Rockland County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 19, 2020
Observation date: Aug 05, 2020
Submitted by: theskyeworld
Region: Bastrop County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 19, 2020
Observation date: Nov 21, 2006
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Pinal County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 09, 2020
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