Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes Fabricius, 1775
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.
Flight: One-2 flights from April-October in northern regions of range; 3 flights in southern regions.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.
Habitat: A variety of open areas including fields, suburbs, marshes, deserts, and roadsides.
Range: Most of the eastern U.S., north into Quebec, west into s. Saskatchewan, Colorado and se. California; south to n. South America. Subspecies coloro in desert Southwest.
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: Maintain open fields in East.
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 25 - 48 of 9741 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: FletcherImages
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 21, 2024
Submitted by: RidgetownRick
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: FletcherImages
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 21, 2024
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 19, 2024
Submitted by: Gotrilobite
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 14, 2024
Submitted by: Headman1971
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Sep 16, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 08, 2024
Submitted by: jcarter
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 06, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: Vee
Region: Dutchess County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 06, 2024
Observation date: Aug 03, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: Reedberg
Region: Pettis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 24, 2024
Submitted by: Gotrilobite
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: Midway Station
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Addison County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 01, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 30, 2024
Observation date: Jul 10, 2024
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: Elisabeth_Cassinari
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 406
- next ›