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 457 - 480 of 4507 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 14, 2020
Submitted by: lwhite
Region: Texas, Tom Green County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: Jennifer222
Region: Lake County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: Jess D
Region: Paulding County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: JerryGriggs
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: ezettler
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: nch5013
Region: Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2020
Submitted by: DAE
Region: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: Wanderlost
Region: Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 01, 2020
Observation date: May 27, 2008
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Marion County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 29, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2018
Submitted by: meadowglenfarm
Region: Scott County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
Observation date: Jul 26, 2020
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2020
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: McMinn County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 24, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2020
Submitted by: mmeshaka
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2020
Submitted by: mmeshaka
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: sgensits
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 17, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2020
Submitted by: bfreegv
Region: Nevada County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 17, 2020
Observation date: Jul 12, 2020
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 12, 2020
Observation date: Jul 03, 2020
Submitted by: cjgoin
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 09, 2020
Observation date: Apr 08, 2018
Submitted by: Redheart Canyonlands
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 06, 2020
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