Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

Pipevine Swallowtail,
Battus philenor

New Pipevine Swallowtail stock photos from VA, WV

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

Similar Species:
Spicebush Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail

Habitat:
Woodland boarders, powerline cuts, hardwood forests and gardens near hardwoods. The host plants are pipevines (Aristolochia)

Abundance:
Common statewide in North Carolina, but less common in coastal areas or absent. The western mountains they seem to be more common.

Flight Period:
Flies from early April until mid September.

Comments:
One key note to look for on this swallowtail is that it always nectars while quivering making getting a good photograph very hard to do.

The top and right Pipevine Swallowtails were both found along the Blueridge Parkway in Bedford County Va on July 16, 2000. We saw over 800 of them in Bedford county that day and they were nectaring on every kind of flower we saw! The top photo shows the female nectaring on Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) and the male at right is nectaring on Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata).

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