Black Swallowtail (University of Arizona Pollinator Field Guide)

Black Swallowtail

Papilio polyxenes

Who am I? ³

~with mystery~
Hello, it is I, Papilio polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail (...American Swallowtail or, funnily enough, Parsnip Swallowtail). I am proud to hold the honor of being the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey... where the Jersey Devil is... well, anyway. Our children could be beautiful, but they look like bird droppings. I suppose it is for their own protection. We all look up to our relatives, Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail), but unfortunately we will never be as poisonous as they are. The least that we can do is take on their looks like that younger sibling who steals your clothes, and from there we can only hope that it is enough to keep the predators away. For this, we are known as Batesian mimics. Oh right, about the parsnip name... We do enjoy a good vegetable, but sometimes we can be a pest unfortunately. Usually we are naturally managed by parasitic wasps and flies, but if we get too dark with the vegetables then the big man typically comes in to give us the killer bacteria, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Then, we die, goodbye world.

Quick facts ³

Common name: Black Swallowtail

Scientific name:Papilio polyxenes (Fabricius 1775)

Characteristics:

Wing span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm)
Upperside of wings: mostly black
Male hindwing has "strip" of yellow, females have "dots"
Females' blue iridescent strip is much thicker than males'
So males' hindwing has more yellow, where as females' hindwing has more blue
Orange and black spot on inner margin of hindwing
Underside has rows of orange, blue, and yellow
Larva undergo dramatic changes with each molt
Larvae have horn-like organs behind the head known as osmeteria; these have a chemical repellent in them to help fight off predators

Host plant: Plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae). This includes Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred. See more specific hosts here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in906

Nectar plant: Variety of flowers; will also visit moist grounds

Preferred habitat: Generally open areas, including wet prairies, fields, flat-woods, pine savannas, roadsides, weedy areas, and gardens

Distribution: Primarily the eastern United States; north into Quebec, west into S. Saskatchewan, Colorado and SE. California; south to northern South America

Flight times: (North) Apr. - Nov., will have 2 broods. (South) 3 broods. See seasonality: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/58523-Papilio-polyxenes

Read more about us here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in906

Where can you find me on campus? ³

Catching sight of an adult Black Swallowtail may include the citrus trees that are scattered across campus.

There is a lane of orange trees in the following areas (though there are more places not listed):

Beside the Arizona Stadium, east of Hopi dorm
In front of the Historic District dorms
Between Gila and Maricopa dorms
West side of the Steward Observatory

Additionally, there are also trees known as calamansi trees (also Rutaceae) around campus as well (though there are more places not listed):

In the Women's Plaza
Lined up on the east side of the Civil Engineering building

References ³

Animal Diversity Web – University of Michigan, https://animaldiversity.org/

Bug Guide – Iowa State University, https://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

Butterflies and Moths of North America - Metalmark Web and Data, https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-polyxenes

Discover Life, https://www.discoverlife.org/

Encyclopedia of Life, https://eol.org/

iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/home

University of Florida IFAS Extension, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in906

Sources and Credits

(c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Maxine Cruz
no rights reserved, uploaded by Maxine Cruz
(c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Size	large
Color	black, blue, yellow
Pattern	bands, spots

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