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 529 - 552 of 4507 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 20, 2020
Submitted by: Lemon_and_Licorice
Region: Butte County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 21, 2020
Observation date: Mar 12, 2020
Submitted by: alicecas
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 13, 2020
Observation date: Mar 10, 2020
Submitted by: cnbooth
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 11, 2020
Observation date: Feb 26, 2020
Submitted by: alicecas
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 28, 2020
Observation date: Feb 08, 2020
Submitted by: Bob Herrmann
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Feb 10, 2020
Observation date: Nov 21, 2006
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Pinal County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jan 27, 2020
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: Tindomul1of9
Region: Bronx County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 11, 2020
Observation date: Sep 30, 2019
Submitted by: Tindomul1of9
Region: Queens County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 11, 2020
Observation date: Aug 04, 2010
Submitted by: Jonathan Batkin
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 30, 2019
Observation date: Dec 02, 2019
Submitted by: YRR777
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Dec 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 30, 2018
Submitted by: TomObrock
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 10, 2019
Observation date: Jul 11, 2018
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 03, 2019
Observation date: Oct 01, 2019
Submitted by: sbcsmith-rickboeth
Region: Grundy County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 03, 2019
Observation date: Oct 28, 2019
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 31, 2019
Observation date: Mar 22, 2017
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Babo
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 12, 2017
Submitted by: Samela95437
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 24, 2019
Observation date: Feb 24, 2019
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 22, 2019
Observation date: Oct 19, 2019
Submitted by: Tom Wiseman
Region: Champaign County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 21, 2019
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 13, 2019
Observation date: Sep 29, 2019
Submitted by: JRoper
Region: White County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Oct 02, 2019
Observation date: Sep 30, 2019
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 30, 2019
Observation date: Sep 21, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2019
Observation date: Sep 21, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2019
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