Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Papilio glaucus. Yellow butterfly. Black butterfly. Insect. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2024 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.

Swallowtails And Parnassians – family Papilionidae

General Characteristics:

  • Large size; wingspans up to 5.5 inches (140 mm)
  • Many species have dark wings patterned with bright colors.
  • Many species have hindwing tails.
  • Most pump their wings when perched or feeding.
  • Easy to spot in the wild.
  • Visit flowers readily; easy to attract to home gardens.
  • Many species “puddle” or gather together on damp ground to imbibe water and important mineral salts.

To jump to the details for each individual species, click on the animal’s name in the list below.

To see the full list of every animal included in Now I Wonder, please visit the Index page.

Index Of Swallowtail And Parnassian Butterflies By Name

Species

Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes)

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus species

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.

How To Identify Black Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 2.6 – 3.5 inches (6.6 – 8.9 cm)
  • Above:
    • Both male and female Black Swallowtail butterflies 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 hindwing, centered with a black dot.
      • Yellow-spotted black abdomens; no stripes.
    • Females have more extensive blue scaling on hindwings than males.
  • Below:
    • Two bands of yellow-orange spots.
    • Hindwing has a small, usually faint, orange spot between the band of larger spots and the hindwing base.
  • Each hindwing 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).

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus)

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus species

Papilio glaucus

  • Females come in two forms: a yellow morph and a dark morph.
    • Dark form females resemble a cousin swallowtail species, the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor).
      • Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies are notoriously toxic to predators; most butterfly predators actively avoid attacking them.
      • Dark-morph Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies likely gain protection from predators by mimicking their smaller, dangerous cousin.
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars feed on tree species whose leaves contain toxic compounds but remain entirely edible to their predators. Rather than incorporate the toxins into their body tissues, the caterpillars excrete the compounds (Frankfater et al. 2005).

How To Identify Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 3.0 – 5.5 inches (7.6 – 14 cm)
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies come in three forms:
    • Males
    • Yellow form females
    • Dark form females
  • Above:
    • Males and yellow form females have black tiger stripes on their forewings.
    • Dark form females have dark forewings that may or may not show faint black tiger stripes.
    • Both yellow and black form females have more blue scaling on their wings than males.
  • Below:
    • Males and yellow form females have black tiger stripes on their forewings.
    • Dark form females have dark forewings that may or may not show faint black tiger stripes.
  • Each hindwing has a long tail.

How To Find Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are among the easiest species to spot in the wild thanks to their large size, abundance, and preference for nectar from a huge variety of wild and cultivated flowers.
  • Flight Season: Late March to late October.
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are “edge habitat specialists”. Look for them in the areas between meadows and forests.
    • More individuals are likely to be along the edges of flowery meadows and forests at any given time of day (Siu et al. 2016) than deep in either area.
  • These butterflies are strong fliers and fly higher than many other butterflies.
    • When spooked, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies fly towards the woods and up into the trees to hide amongst the canopy.
  • Adult Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies eat nectar from flowers with long petals and seem to prefer red, pink, and purple flowers (Daniels 2003).
    • North Carolina wildflowers that serve as nectar sources for this species include:
      • Butter Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
      • Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
      • Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
  • Other flowers from which they feed include:
    • Wild Bergamot (Monarda stulosa)
    • Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemone hirutus)
    • Dwarf Blazing Star (Liatris cylandracea)
    • Winter Vetch (Vicia villosa)
    • Clovers (Trifolium spp.)
    • Bouncing Bet (Saponaria oficianalis)

How to Identify Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Eggs, Caterpillars, And Chrysalises

Eggs

  • Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies lay eggs one at a time on top of host plant leaves (Daniels 2003). The eggs are green, round, and very large for butterflies—about 0.03 by 0.05 inches (0.08 x 0.12 cm) (Pyle 1981).

Caterpillars

  • Grow to about 2 inches (5.5 cm) (Wagner 2005).
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars are smooth and green.
    • Have a pair of yellow, blue, and black eye spots on third thoracic segment.
      • Each eye spot has a characteristic black “eyebrow” on the inner edge.
    • Have a yellow stripe between the third and fourth segments, but the stripe is not visible at rest (Wagner 2005).
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars are “counter-shaded” (Wagner 2005).
    • Their backs are dark green but the color lightens gradually down their sides.
    • This coloration helps them blend into the leaves upon which they feed and avoid notice by predators.
  • Look for caterpillars on:
    • Trees in the Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae), including:
      • Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana)
      • Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandifolia)
      • Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
      • Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
    • Ash trees (Fraxinus spp.)
    • Cherry trees (Prunus spp.)

Chrysalises

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail chrysalises are mottled green or brown, about 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) long (Pyle 1981), and belted with a single strand of silk.
  • Caterpillars overwinter in chrysalises until temperatures warm. In the spring, they metamorphose and emerge as the first generation of adults.

Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio palamedes)

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus species

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).

How To Identify Palamedes Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 3.0 – 5.5 inches (7.6 – 14 cm)
  • Above:
    • Black wings, with two rows of yellow spots along the forewing and hindwing margins.
    • On the hindwings, the yellow spots merge to form a thick, continuous band.
  • Below:
    • Each hindwing has a narrow yellow stripe 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).

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (Battus philenor)

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus species

Battus philenor

  • Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies are distasteful—if not downright toxic—to many predators.
    • Pipevine caterpillars eat and sequester in their body tissues aristolochic acid, which is manufactured by their larval host plants, plants in the Birthwort family Aristolochiaceae.
    • Caterpillars retain these toxins even through metamorphosis, so adults are as toxic to predators.
    • Male Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies retain a stable level of aristolochic acid throughout their lives. But adult females lose their aristolochic acid as they age, probably because they donate some of the toxin to their eggs (Fordyce et al. 2015).
  • This chemical defense is so effective against predators that several other butterfly species mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail’s black and blue coloration. These include:
    • Female Diana Fritillaries (Speyeria diana)
    • Dark form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus)
    • Spicebush Swallowtails (Papilio troilus)
    • Red-spotted Purples (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)
    • The mimicry of Pipevine Swallowtails by other, harmless creatures is an example of “Batesian mimicy”.
      • In Batesian mimicry, only the harmless animals benefit.
  • Another English common name for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies is “Blue Swallowtail” (Pyle 1981).

How To Identify Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Wingspan: 2.75 – 3.4 inches (7.0 cm – 8.6 cm)
  • Above:
    • Coal-black forewings and metallic blue hindwings decorated with a line of crescent-shaped white spots above.
      • Males have more blue on their wings than females.
    • The vibrance of the blue color changes with the angle sunlight hits the wings.
  • Below:
    • Matte gray forewings with small white spots along edge.
    • Hindwings have a single, curved row of large, bright orange spots embedded in a bright, metallic blue band.

How to Find Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies

  • Flight Season: Adults fly between late February and early November.
    • Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies live throughout North Carolina.
    • They are most abundant in the western part of the state, in the Appalachian Mountains.
  • Look for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies in forests, especially near streams, and along the edges of thick woods.
  • Adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies eat nectar from flowers. They particularly like nectar from:
    • Honeysuckles (family Caprifoliaceae)
      • Southern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia)
      • Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
    • Milkweeds (family Asclepiadaceae)
      • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
      • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
    • Thistles (family Asteraceae)
      • Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
      • Yellow or Horrid Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) (Pyle 1981).

How To Identify Pipevine Swallowtail Eggs, Caterpillars, and Chrysalises

Eggs

  • Female Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies lay orange-brown eggs one at a time or in small clusters on the leaves of host plants.

Caterpillars

  • Pipevine caterpillars are deep black, with two rows of red-orange wart-like projections running down the length of their bodies.
    • Grow to about 2 inches (5.0 cm).
    • A row of short, fleshy tentacles extend out to each side.
    • A much longer pair of tentacles extend up and forward from the first thoracic segment.
      • B. philenor caterpillars can actively move the long, paired tentacles behind their heads.
      • They use these movable tentacles to search for plant stems.
        • The tentacles don’t seem to smell or taste the plants. Instead, they seem to sense touch and help the caterpillars expand their search area (Kandori et al. 2015).
  • Look for Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars on plants in the Birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), like Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macropylla) and Woolly Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa).

Chrysalises

  • Pipevine Swallowtail chrysalises are pale brown, curvy, pointed at one end, and hang suspended from single silk threads around their middles.
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly Battus philenor chrysalis. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright Now I Wonder.
Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly chrysalis Photograph taken by the author Copyright Now I Wonder

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio troilus)

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae (Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies)

Genus species

Papilio troilus

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

How To Identify Spicebush Swallowtail Butterflies

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

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).