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.
Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes Fabricius, 1775
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.
Flight: One-2 flights from April-October in northern regions of range; 3 flights in southern regions.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.
Habitat: A variety of open areas including fields, suburbs, marshes, deserts, and roadsides.
Range: Most of the eastern U.S., north into Quebec, west into s. Saskatchewan, Colorado and se. California; south to n. South America. Subspecies coloro in desert Southwest.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Maintain open fields in East.
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 505 - 528 of 9871 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 15, 2022
Submitted by: nc1marm
Region: St. Clair County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 16, 2022
Observation date: Jun 15, 2022
Submitted by: egilley
Region: Duval County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 15, 2022
Observation date: Jun 08, 2022
Submitted by: egilley
Region: Duval County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 09, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2022
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 09, 2022
Observation date: Jun 08, 2022
Submitted by: tjrychener
Region: Oneida County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 08, 2022
Observation date: Jun 07, 2022
Submitted by: herb garden
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2019
Submitted by: wolfymik
Region: Richland County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jun 01, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 01, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2018
Submitted by: Arusso
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: May 22, 2022
Submitted by: Shepherd1
Region: Comal County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 30, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2022
Submitted by: cdemers
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 29, 2022
Observation date: May 21, 2022
Submitted by: Brian Ahern
Region: Pasco County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 23, 2022
Observation date: May 23, 2022
Submitted by: kriddle
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 23, 2022
Observation date: May 18, 2022
Submitted by: cjgoin
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 20, 2022
Observation date: May 10, 2022
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Hutchinson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 20, 2022
Observation date: May 15, 2022
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 17, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: May 12, 2022
Submitted by: kjaldridge
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: May 10, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 12, 2022
Observation date: May 06, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 25, 2022
Submitted by: Skippy42
Region: Dawson County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: May 02, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 22 of 412
- next ›