Eastern Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
Laceys Spring, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Vincent, Alabama
Barling, Arkansas
Deer, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Marion, Arkansas
North Little Rock, Arkansas
San Diego, California
Denver, Colorado
Danbury, Connecticut
Bear, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
Ellendale, Delaware
Boca Raton, Florida
Brooksville, Florida
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida(2 reports)
Loxahatchee, Florida
Mascotte, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne Beach, Florida
Oldsmar, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Palm Coast, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Sebastian, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Wauchula, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
Winter Springs, Florida(2 reports)
Byron, Georgia
Cordele, Georgia
Lula, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Cherry Valley, Illinois
Chester, Illinois
Galva, Illinois
Hinsdale, Illinois
La Grange Park, Illinois
Palmyra, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Washington, Illinois
Westchester, Illinois
Coatesville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Yale, Iowa
Cadiz, Kentucky
Calvert City, Kentucky
Hebron, Kentucky
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Vacherie, Louisiana
Youngsville, Louisiana
Durham, Maine
Fallston, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Halifax, Massachusetts
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Northville, Michigan
Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota(2 reports)
Wayzata, Minnesota
Columbus, Mississippi
Marietta, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Lincoln, Nebraska
Dover, New Hampshire
Hudson, New Hampshire
Allentown, New Jersey
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
Marlton, New Jersey
New Milford, New Jersey
Henrietta, New York
Lake Grove, New York
Southold, New York
Cary, North Carolina
Clayton, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Gates, North Carolina
Mooresville, North Carolina
Newland, North Carolina
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bucyrus, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hulbert, Oklahoma
Kellyville, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Middleburg, Pennsylvania
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Port Matilda, Pennsylvania
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Manning, South Carolina
Yankton, South Dakota
Clarksville, Tennessee
Gainesboro, Tennessee
Abilene, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Carrollton, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Denton, Texas
Desoto, Texas
Edinburg, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Los Fresnos, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas
Rosenberg, Texas
Snook, Texas
Spring, Texas
Victoria, Texas
West Dummerston, Vermont
Newport News, Virginia
Urbanna, Virginia
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
show all
lightyellow
They really like dill, parsley, and fennel. In hot areas fennel, which can be bronze or green it doesn't matter, is the best as it is perennial (dill does to seed rapidly and dies in hot areas and parsley usually either dies or stops growing in summer). All are easy from seed.
There are many native members of the carrot family utilized by these but few are suited for garden culture (Golden Alexander is one of them and go... read more
VooDooU
deb7
LOVIE2
Charilies2003
tabasco
We did have some Queen Anne's Lace on our property as a host plant but we removed it because it is said to be invasive in our area. The wild parsnip is a pesty plant also, and we will remove it before it reseeds this season.
The BSTs often nectar on alfalfa, red clover, common milkweed, swamp milkweed, thistle, purple coneflower and other flowers.
One of the smallest swallowtails... read more
SusanLouise
Photog237
twopuppies
aggscott
Loves the butterfly bush the most from what I've seen
jillj97
EJM1027
fly_girl
daylilylib
pford1854
catbird8
Marilynbeth
organic1
jswords
They love anything in the carrot family, so the website says...carrots, dill, parsley....
I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the chrysalis in a couple of weeks!
SPRINTER
Magpye
Identification: Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Life history: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.
Flight: One-2 flights from April-October in northern regions of range; 3 flights in southern regions.
Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's... read more