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 25 - 48 of 4437 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jun 14, 2024
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2024
Submitted by: jeskay
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: ebea
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: Idk
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 12, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: MilklessBones
Region: Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Jbanks
Region: Walker County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 10, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: pjrosa
Region: Solano County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 06, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Lynnie7
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Knox County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 22, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 29, 2024
Observation date: Jun 25, 2024
Submitted by: lfiske
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 26, 2024
Observation date: Jun 20, 2024
Submitted by: Blayne Crabtree
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 21, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: 18Bronwen
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Jun 08, 2024
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