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 49 - 72 of 1058 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Apr 15, 2023
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Apr 15, 2023
Observation date: Mar 17, 2023
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Mar 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 15, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 27, 2023
Observation date: Feb 19, 2023
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 20, 2023
Observation date: Feb 18, 2023
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 18, 2023
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: Elias Luiz
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 25, 2008
Submitted by: Jay Cossey
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: May 12, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 24, 2022
Observation date: May 12, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 24, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: RaisingButterfl...
Verified date: Dec 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Oct 06, 2022
Submitted by: Mandajapanda
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: Chris Baldwin
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 19, 2022
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Sep 17, 2022
Submitted by: Sandy13
Region: Kitsap County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 18, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2022
Submitted by: KeriBarberEdmonds
Region: Snohomish County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: Jody Ainley
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 23, 2022
Submitted by: Vinita Fernandes
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: RickTheBugMan
Region: Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 20, 2022
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