Summary ³

The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails.

On San Bruno Mountain ⁴

Feeds on Sweet Fennel, Cow Parsnip, and other introduced and native umbellifers.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Peter Prehn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/70414856@N00/2665803331
2. (c) Ken Schneider, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ken Schneider, http://www.flickr.com/photos/zonotrichia/3872303132/
3. Adapted by Scott Loarie from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_zelicaon
4. (c) Scott Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Moth Photographers Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

iNat Map