Pale Swallowtail
Papilio eurymedon Lucas, 1852
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of wings creamy white with black stripes. Front wing is narrow and pointed; tail of hindwing is long, slender and twisted.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches (6.4 - 9 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest on silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Pupae hibernate.
Flight: One flight from April-July, many flights in southern California from March-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees and shrubs in the Rosaceae, Rhamnaceae and Betulaceae families including cherry (Prunus emarginata), coffee-berry (Rhamnus californica), and ash (Fraxinus spp.).
Adult Food: Flower nectar including California buckeye, yerba santa, and wallflower.
Habitat: Foothills, open woodlands, chaparral, streamsides.
Range: British Columbia east to Montana, south to New Mexico. California and Baja California.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 753 verified sightings
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: melykins
Region: Skagit County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: cfriend
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 22, 2020
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: RebeccaR
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: May 15, 2020
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 21, 2020
Observation date: May 13, 2020
Submitted by: Bakul Shah
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 14, 2020
Observation date: May 08, 2020
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 12, 2015
Submitted by: SBlakely
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 27, 2020
Observation date: Mar 05, 2020
Submitted by: gregslak
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 11, 2020
Observation date: Feb 16, 2020
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 31, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2018
Submitted by: Monarchspirit
Region: Columbia County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 02, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2011
Submitted by: GI JAG
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 15, 2019
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 16, 2019
Submitted by: JES
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 17, 2019
Observation date: Jun 18, 2017
Submitted by: EvSherr
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Team Kweeper
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 06, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Amador County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 03, 2019
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 22, 2019
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: cevmendo
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 18, 2019
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Brynne Bryan
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
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