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 529 - 552 of 9873 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Sep 24, 2021
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 02, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2022
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 15, 2022
Observation date: Apr 05, 2022
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 11, 2022
Observation date: Mar 30, 2022
Submitted by: Herfurthlk
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 07, 2021
Submitted by: lassa8
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 06, 2022
Observation date: May 19, 2016
Submitted by: tlornsen
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: tlornsen
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: R.Duval
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2019
Submitted by: Soulsu
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2020
Submitted by: harumi17
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Mar 27, 2022
Submitted by: KD5NRH
Region: Texas, Parker County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: JRoper
Region: Williamson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Mar 28, 2022
Observation date: Mar 24, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 26, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2011
Submitted by: SaraJE
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2021
Submitted by: vic77
Region: Dickinson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2021
Submitted by: vic77
Region: Dickinson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2014
Submitted by: Deb Peterson
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 01, 2022
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Jul 29, 2020
Submitted by: lbrichta
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: RLBatez
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2021
Submitted by: alliemacd37
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: Llosapio
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Feb 26, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 23 of 412
- next ›