Spicebush Swallowtail
Papilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upper surface of forewing is mostly black with ivory spots along margin. Upper surface of hindwing has orange spot on costal margin and sheen of bluish (female) or bluish-green (male) scales. Underside of hindwing with pale green marginal spots.
Wing Span: 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).
Life History: Males patrol in woods, roads and woodland edges to find receptive females. Females lay single eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in shelters of folded-over leaves and come out to feed at night. Some chrysalids from each generation hibernate.
Flight: 2 generations per year from April-October. In Florida, several generations between March-December.
Caterpillar Hosts: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum); perhaps prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), and redbay (Persea borbonia).
Adult Food: Nectar from Japanese honeysuckle, jewelweed, thistles, milkweed, azalea, dogbane, lantana, mimosa, and sweet pepperbush.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, fields, roadsides, yards, pine barrens, wooded swamps, and parks.
Range: Eastern states from southern Canada to Florida; west to Oklahoma and central Texas. Occasionally strays to North Dakota, central Colorado, and Cuba.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
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 169 - 192 of 7816 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 20, 2017
Submitted by: Kathryn165
Region: Montcalm County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: lantana
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2022
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: Aug 25, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 07, 2022
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Marion County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 28, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: lumpydave84
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: michellelynn1982
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: KSkrehot
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 20, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: Jim Lowe
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: FeliciaMarie
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2022
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Yancey County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 17, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: WndrWmn
Region: Cecil County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: EddieGarrity
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: anita stratton
Region: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2022
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2022
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 8 of 326
- next ›