Giant Swallowtail
Papilio cresphontes Cramer, 1777
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Forewing with diagonal band of yellow spots. Tails are edged with black and filled with yellow.
Wing Span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for receptive females. Females lay single eggs on host leaves and twigs. Caterpillars resemble bird droppings and eat leaves and young shoots. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two in the north from May-September; all year in Florida and the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), and Common Rue (Ruta graveolens).
Adult Food: Nectar from lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Many locales including rocky and sandy hillsides near streams or gullies in the north; pine flats, towns, and citrus groves in the south.
Range: Throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, south through the desert Southwest to South America. A rare stray to Quebec, North Dakota, and Bermuda.
Conservation: Not required in the United States.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Caterpillars ("orange dogs") are occasional pests of citrus.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 145 - 168 of 3268 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: CaraLundquist
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: Bambi E. Friedman
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 16, 2022
Submitted by: Tater Salad
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 05, 2022
Submitted by: Nilesh Shah
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2022
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: Teswenson
Region: Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: Teswenson
Region: Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 05, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: D Grimes
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 31, 2022
Submitted by: michellelynn1982
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: May 25, 2022
Submitted by: Texag
Region: Galveston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2022
Submitted by: cwstudio
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: Lynn Ferris
Region: Dutchess County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 30, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: Eldiem
Region: Hancock County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2022
Observation date: Jun 08, 2022
Submitted by: mbroen
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 14, 2022
Submitted by: JamesACottingham
Region: Coffee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 16, 2022
Observation date: Jun 10, 2022
Submitted by: Ashlee1
Region: Polk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 04, 2022
Submitted by: Russ Wigh
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 09, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 7 of 137
- next ›