Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

Palamedes Swallowtail,
Papilio palamedes

Size: Wingspan is 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches.

Similar Species:
Giant Swallowtail

Habitat: Southern Swamps and adjacent open areas. Red Bay (Persea borbonica) is the host plant which is very common in swampy coastal areas in the south.

Abundance: Common to abundant in the lower coastal plain. Typically it`s found east of I-95 in North Carolina

Flight Period: Flies from late March until mid October.

Comments: The above Palamedes Swallowtail I found in 1994 on thistle. The photo at right I took in the Sandhills Gamelands during a CBS field trip there in 1999. It was perched right above a fireplace at a ponds edge.

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