Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor (Linnaeus, 1771)
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).
Life History: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.
Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring (though as early as late February or March) and summer, but the butterfly is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest. Where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults ma
Caterpillar Hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.
Adult Food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.
Range: Rare stray to Canada (s. Manitoba). Tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.
Conservation: Normally not of high conservation concern, although states at northern limits have listed under state law. These listings are of dubious value where species is not a permanent resident.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Management of habitats to ensure survival of host plant colonies is the only possible concern.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 4428 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: TLE613
Region: Woodford County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 26, 2024
Observation date: Oct 10, 2024
Submitted by: eperry
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 11, 2024
Observation date: Sep 20, 2024
Submitted by: bentert
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Sep 20, 2024
Submitted by: bentert
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2024
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 01, 2024
Submitted by: bentert
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 03, 2024
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 05, 2024
Observation date: Aug 28, 2024
Submitted by: eperry
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 02, 2024
Observation date: Sep 23, 2024
Submitted by: Kentonky41015
Region: Kenton County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 24, 2024
Observation date: Sep 14, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Dec 08, 2022
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 07, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 13, 2024
Observation date: Sep 12, 2024
Submitted by: Jill A. Winston
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 12, 2024
Observation date: Sep 06, 2024
Submitted by: akaikeri
Region: St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Aug 28, 2024
Submitted by: GLG
Region: Walton County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2024
Submitted by: houdini73
Region: Brown County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2024
Submitted by: wendypd
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: ebea
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 14, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
Observation date: Jun 30, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Jefferson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Aug 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 23, 2024
Submitted by: butterflybeulah
Region: Johnson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 26, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
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