Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

Black Swallowtail,
Papilio polyxenes

New Black Swallowtail stock photos page

Size: Wingspan is 2 3/8 to 3 3/4 inches.

Similar Species:
Spicebush Swallowtail
Pipevine Swallowtail
black-form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Habitat: Open areas, fields, meadows, powerline cuts, gardens and tidal marshes.

Abundance: Uncommon to common statewide in North Carolina. Perhaps more common in coastal regions.

Flight Period: Flies from late March until late September.

Comments: The above female Black Swallowtail was found in a Dogbane patch in the Butner Gamelands during the Durham Butterfly Count on August 14, 1999. As you can see it could be confused with the dark form Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but you`ll see it`s much darker and you can`t see the typical veining of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. This male Black Swallowtail emerged in my garden. I believe it was barely able to fly when I found it on August 05, 2000.

The host plants parsley and fennel are common in gardens. The caterpillar is show at right on Bronze Fennel from my garden. The fresh chrysalis at right was one I attempted to photograph the transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis and of course I missed out.

More photos from August 23, 2001 can be found here.

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