National Moth Week is July 18-26!
Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.
Giant Swallowtail
Papilio cresphontes Cramer, 1777
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Forewing with diagonal band of yellow spots. Tails are edged with black and filled with yellow.
Wing Span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for receptive females. Females lay single eggs on host leaves and twigs. Caterpillars resemble bird droppings and eat leaves and young shoots. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two in the north from May-September; all year in Florida and the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), and Common Rue (Ruta graveolens).
Adult Food: Nectar from lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Many locales including rocky and sandy hillsides near streams or gullies in the north; pine flats, towns, and citrus groves in the south.
Range: Throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, south through the desert Southwest to South America. A rare stray to Quebec, North Dakota, and Bermuda.
Conservation: Not required in the United States.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Caterpillars ("orange dogs") are occasional pests of citrus.
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 25 - 48 of 3342 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 18, 2025
Submitted by: Ivyrk87
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2025
Observation date: Sep 12, 2025
Submitted by: Ivyrk87
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Sally Millar
Region: Baldwin County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: kittybev
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Aug 21, 2025
Submitted by: icanhasmath
Region: Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 26, 2025
Observation date: Aug 07, 2025
Submitted by: Pamela H
Region: Itasca County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: Severino Carbone
Region: Otsego County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 22, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2010
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 19, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: TJM321
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 19, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2025
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 14, 2025
Observation date: Aug 11, 2025
Submitted by: leskokid
Region: Monroe County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 12, 2025
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: jweissmann
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 08, 2025
Observation date: Aug 04, 2025
Submitted by: Kipepeo49
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 05, 2025
Observation date: Jul 04, 2025
Submitted by: KristyBaker
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 30, 2025
Submitted by: ElleM
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 31, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 30, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: whhowe
Region: Ontario County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 26, 2025
Observation date: May 26, 2025
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 20, 2025
Observation date: Mar 26, 2020
Submitted by: Rob Williams
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 14, 2025
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 140
- next ›