Swallowtail Butterflies: Identification and Host Plants

Swallowtails are large, colorful, tailed butterflies—over 600 species worldwide, ~30 in North America. Wingspans 2–5.5 inches. Most fall into four subgroups:

Black Swallowtails (Papilio)

Black with yellow spots/bands. Caterpillars eat carrot-family plants: Queen Anne's lace, parsley, cow parsnip. North American species: Eastern Black, Desert, Short-tailed, Western Black, Oregon, Anise.

Giant Swallowtails (Heraclides)

Brown and yellow. Caterpillars prefer citrus, torchwood, prickly ash, pepper plants. NA species: Thoas, Giant/Orange Dog, Schaus', Ruby-spotted.

Tiger Swallowtails (Pterourus)

Yellow with black stripes. Caterpillars feed on deciduous trees: willow, cottonwood, birch, ash, poplar, sycamore, cherry. NA species: Tiger, Western Tiger, Two-tailed, Pale, Spicebush/Green Cloud, Palamedes.

Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus)

Blackish. Caterpillars eat pipevines (Aristolochia)—toxic to predators. NA species: Blue Swallowtail, Gold Rim.

Zebra Swallowtails (Eurytides)

White with black stripes. Only two NA species: Zebra, Dark Zebra. Caterpillars specialize on pawpaw (Asimina)—habitat loss threatens them.

Plant host plants to attract these jewels. Have you seen a swallowtail lately?