Anise Swallowtail
Papilio zelicaon Lucas, 1852
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing has yellow-orange eyespot near tail with round black center that is not connected to hindwing margin. Anal cell of hindwing is primarily yellow.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/2 inches (7 - 9 cm).
Life History: Males perch on hilltops and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on host plant leaves and flowers. Young caterpillars eat leaves while older ones eat flowers. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from April-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Many species in the parsley family (Apiaceae), and some in the citrus family (Rutaceae).
Adult Food: Not reported.
Habitat: Bare hills, mountains, gardens, fields, vacant lots, and roadsides.
Range: From British Columbia southeast to North Dakota, south to s. California, Arizona, New Mexico; Baja California; Mexico. A rare stray to central Nebraska and eastern North Dakota.
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: None noted.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 385 - 408 of 1138 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 09, 2008
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 29, 2017
Observation date: May 17, 2013
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 29, 2017
Observation date: Sep 23, 2017
Submitted by: Mama
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 25, 2017
Observation date: Jun 07, 2017
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Aug 06, 2012
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 20, 2017
Observation date: Oct 10, 2014
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 20, 2017
Observation date: Sep 15, 2017
Submitted by: damien800
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 16, 2017
Observation date: Sep 14, 2017
Submitted by: datilson
Region: Lake County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 15, 2017
Observation date: Aug 29, 2017
Submitted by: Rbb
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 30, 2017
Observation date: Apr 20, 2014
Submitted by: Donjerue
Region: Klickitat County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 15, 2017
Observation date: Aug 08, 2017
Submitted by: Andredesz
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 09, 2017
Observation date: Jun 07, 2017
Submitted by: EricaLSF
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 08, 2017
Observation date: Jul 08, 2017
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Kittitas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 03, 2017
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Pierce County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 03, 2017
Observation date: Jul 23, 2017
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 24, 2017
Observation date: Jul 17, 2017
Submitted by: johnkmt
Region: Missoula County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 20, 2017
Observation date: Jul 07, 2017
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2017
Observation date: Jul 04, 2017
Submitted by: Rottnkuv
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 05, 2017
Observation date: Jun 22, 2017
Submitted by: A.Y.Liang
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 02, 2017
Observation date: Jun 29, 2017
Submitted by: A.Y.Liang
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 01, 2017
Observation date: Jun 28, 2017
Submitted by: RichHubie
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 29, 2017
Observation date: May 28, 2017
Submitted by: shastamax
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 31, 2017
Observation date: May 18, 2017
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Douglas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 31, 2017
Observation date: May 21, 2017
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 27, 2017
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