Black butterflies add a touch of mystery and elegance to North Carolina’s diverse butterfly population. This guide introduces you to the species you can find across the state. Learn about the different species of black butterflies, their unique behaviors, and where to observe them in the wild.

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Black Butterflies Found in North Carolina

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus

Papilio

Species

P. polyxenes

Binomial Name

Papilio polyxenes

  • Some gardeners consider the Black Swallowtail a pest species, as their caterpillars feed on plants in the Carrot family (Apiaceae), such as carrots, dill, fennel, and parsley.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly Images

How To Identify Black Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 2.6 – 3.5 inches (6.6 – 8.9 cm)
  • Above:
    • Both male and female Black Swallowtails are black butterflies that have:
      • Black wings with two yellow bands near the outer edge—one of delta-shaped marks, and one of small spots.
      • A single orange spot on the center edge of each hind wing, centered with a black dot.
      • Yellow-spotted black abdomens; no stripes.
    • Females have more extensive blue scaling on hind wings than males.
  • Below:
    • Two bands of yellow-orange spots.
    • Hind wing has a small, usually faint, orange spot between the band of larger spots and the hind wing base.
  • Each hind wing has a long tail filled in with black.

How to Find Black Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Flight Season: Adults fly between late March and late October in North Carolina.
  • Look for them in open, sunny spaces with flowers, like meadows, roadsides, parks, orchards, and gardens.
    • They seem especially fond of nectar from flowers in the Phlox family (Polemoniaceae), like:
      • Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii)
      • Thickleaf Phlox (Phlox carolina)
      • Both of these species are planted along roadsides in North Carolina (Bowers and Bowers 2022).
  • Adults visit a wide variety of different flowers and fly low to the ground.

How to Identify Black Swallowtail Eggs, Caterpillars, And Chrysalises

Eggs

Caterpillars

  • Young Black Swallowtail caterpillars resemble bird droppings.
  • Older (later instar) caterpillars are banded in green and black; each body segment’s green and black band contains six yellow dots (Wagner 2005).
  • Grow to 2 inches (5.1 cm) (Pyle 1981).
  • Look for Black Swallowtail caterpillars on plants in the Carrot family (Apiaceae), like Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota).

Chrysalises

  • Chrysalises are brown or leaf-green and overwinter in North Carolina (Pyle 1981).

Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus

Papilio

Species

P. palamedes

Binomial Name

Papilio palamedes

  • Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars feed on Redbay (Persea borbonia) leaves.
    • Humans know Redbay leaves as “bay leaves”, the herb used to flavor soups, stews, and sauces.
  • Because Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars are specialist feeders that eat only a small number of very specific plants, the species is vulnerable to changes in its food supply.
    • Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly populations throughout the southeast are threatened.
    • A fungus known as “laurel wilt disease”, transmitted by the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle (Xyleborus glabratus), is killing off Redbay trees.
  • An older name for the Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly species is “Pterourus palamedes” (Pyle 1981).

Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly Images

How To Identify Palamedes Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 3.0 – 5.5 inches (7.6 – 14 cm)
  • Palamedes Swallowtails are black butterflies that have:
    • Above:
      • Black wings, with two rows of yellow spots along the fore wing and hind wing margins.
      • Yellow spots on the hind wings that merge to form a thick, continuous band.
    • Below:
      • A narrow yellow stripe on each hind wing that runs parallel to the abdomen, close to the wing base.
  • Adults fly between March and October and are most common in the eastern parts of the state.
    • Look for adult Palamedes Swallowtails in and near evergreen swamps and woodlands, especially on Pickerelweed (Pontedaria cordata).

How to Find Palamedes Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Flight Season: Palamedes Swallowtail butterflies breed several times every season and fly from late March to mid-October in North Carolina.
    • They live in the Atlantic coastal plain.
  • Individual Palamedes Swallowtails survive North Carolina’s winters as pupae within their leathery, waterproof chrysalises.
    • Some may survive mild winters as caterpillars, which is unusual for butterflies (Pyle 1981).
  • Look for adult Palamedes Swallowtail butterflies near rivers, streams, and evergreen swamps (Daniels 2003) in the eastern part of North Carolina, close to the coast.
    • They are especially common in and near the North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swamp.
    • Palamedes Swallowtails are especially fond of nectar from Pickerelweed (Pontedaria cordata).

How To Identify Palamedes Swallowtail Eggs, Caterpillars, And Chrysalises

Eggs

  • Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly eggs are tiny, and cream-colored.
    • Females lay the eggs one at a time on new growth of host plants (Daniels 2003).

Caterpillars

  • Grow to 2 inches long (5.1 cm).
  • Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars have smooth green bodies that shade to the color of rust on their lower half (Wagner 2005).
    • Two pairs of small eye spots; one pair mimics snake eyes.
  • Look for Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars on trees of the Laurel family (Lauraceae) like:
    • Redbay (Persea borbonia)
    • Sassafras (Sassafras albidum).
  • Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars can be hard to find in the wild.
    • Redbay trees (Persea borbonia) are rare in North Carolina and grow mostly in tidewater regions along the coast only.
    • A better bet would be to look for Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars on Sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum), which are more common in the state.
  • Chrysalises are mottled, greenish, and leathery.
    • Palamedes Swallowtails pass winter in North Carolina winters as pupae, protected by their chrysalises.
      • In especially mild winters, individuals may survive as caterpillars, without pupating, which is unusual for butterflies (Pyle 1981).

Chrysalises

  • Chrysalises are mottled, greenish, and leathery, and can be as large as 1.625 inches (4 cm).

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus

Papilio

Species

P. troilus

Binomial Name

Papilio troilus

  • Also called the “Green-clouded Swallowtail” (Pyle 1981).

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly Images

How To Identify Spicebush Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 3.5 – 4.5 inches (8.9 – 11.4 cm)
  • Males and females Spicebush Swallowtails are black butterflies that look similar and have:
    • Above:
      • A row of pale, blue-green spots along the margins of each wing.
      • Blue-green patches on each hind wing.
        • Patches are brighter blue on females.
      • A single, bright orange spot on the center line of each hind wing.

How To Find Spicebush Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Flight Season: Adult Spicebush Swallowtails fly between early March to mid-October.
  • Look for adults on flowers near forests and wooded swamps, especially on flowers of:
    • Joe Pyeweed (Eutrochium purpureum)
    • Honeysuckles like Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
    • Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

How To Identify Spicebush Swallowtail Eggs, Caterpillars, and Chrysalises

Eggs

  • Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar eggs are pale green (Pyle 1981).

Caterpillars

  • Young Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars look like bird droppings and rest motionless on the top of leaves.
  • Older caterpillars have smooth green bodies, with two separate pairs of eye spots.
    • The eye spots on the first abdominal segment are small, and lack black “pupils”.
    • The eye spots on their third thoracic segments are very large. Each spot is yellow and white and decorated with a large black “pupil” complete with a white mark that makes the spots look moist. The combination mimics snake eyes to both a remarkable and startling degree.
  • Look for Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars on Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) plants.
    • When not feeding, the caterpillars position themselves within their leaf tents so that their eye spots point out (Wagner 2005). Curious birds hoping for tasty caterpillar snacks find themselves facing “snakes” instead.
    • Search for individual leaves that have been folded or bent over length-wise and peek inside.

Chrysalises

  • Chrysalises are smooth and differ in color depending on the time of year the caterpillars pupate. Winter chrysalises are brown, while summer chrysalises are green (Pyle 1981).