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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 577 - 600 of 9882 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: ItsBlueB
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2017
Submitted by: Lunchmonkee
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: JC32647
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Jun 26, 2017
Submitted by: Jjeffery
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2001
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: May 05, 2020
Submitted by: Ryan84
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2020
Submitted by: Missmarple
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Feb 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Torrance County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Feb 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: Llosapio
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Feb 05, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2017
Submitted by: Kat Shun
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2015
Submitted by: Angela Wolff
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 30, 2022
Observation date: Jan 18, 2022
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 23, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2019
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Jan 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: see_me1st
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Jan 10, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2019
Submitted by: pmrules21
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Jan 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2021
Submitted by: Marquy275
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2021
Submitted by: jofritz
Region: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: V Miller
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: nature405
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: RT
Region: Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Dec 30, 2021
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2021
Submitted by: Cardinal52
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Dec 31, 2021
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