Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor Above: overall black; male has iridescent greenish-blue scaling on hindwings; female is duller black with a single row of white submarginal spots Below: hindwings with broad iridescent blue scaling on outer half with a row of prominent orange spots Compare: Spicebush Swallowtail (pg. 25) is larger with prominent crescent-shaped submarginal spots; Red-spotted Purple (pg. 79) lacks hindwing tails; female Black Swallowtail (pg. 31) is larger with orange hindwing spot; dark-form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (pg. 29) is much larger and often has faint black stripes, especially on the ventral surface. Wingspan: 2.75-4.0" (7.
0-10.2 cm) Habitat: open woodlands, forest margins and adjacent open areas including clearings, roadsides, yards and gardens Range: primarily southern portions of the region; absent from ND, SD; uncommon in NE; uncommon stray or temporary breeding colonist northward; unlikely able to survive winters in more northern portions of the range. Abundance: rare to common Sexes: dissimilar, female is dull black with a prominent row of white spots Broods: two; overwinter as a pupa Egg: brownish-orange, round, laid singly or in small clusters Larva: velvety black with orange spots and numerous fleshy tubercles; superficially resembles a centipede Larval Host Plants: various pipevines ( Aristolochia spp.) including Virginia snakeroot ( Aristolochia serpentaria ), woolly dutchman's pipe ( A. tomentosa ) and pipevine ( A. macrophylla ) Notes: Our smallest black-colored swallowtail, it is most common throughout the southeastern half of the region. It is absent, rare or locally sporadic farther north and west, temporarily colonizing available planted pipevines. Farther south, one or more native pipevine species naturally occur.
The Pipevine Swallowtail's fleshy larvae sequester toxins from their host plants, rendering them and the resulting adults highly distasteful to certain predators. The butterfly's bold orange and black ventral hindwing pattern visibly advertise this unpalatability. Adults have a very swift, frenetic flight but are quite fond of flowers.