Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus
Papilionidae or Swallowtail Family
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Medium large butterfly, with wingspan about 3-4 inches. Upper forewing is black, with a marginal row of white spots. Upper hindwing has marginal white spots, and a bluish (female) or bluish-green (male) sheen. There is also an orange spot on each wing on the inward side. And, at the end of each wing there is the little tail typical of swallowtails. On the underside of the hindwing there are two rows of orange spots and associated bluish bands. In the inner row of orange spots, one of the spots is missing, replaced by a bluish comet. Adults sip nectar from a variety of flowers. The young caterpillar resembles a bird dropping; older caterpillars are green with a brown belly, a yellow side stripe, and two cream and black eyespots which have cream eyebrows. Caterpillars feed on a variety of host plants in the Magnolia and Laurel families, including the eponymous spicebush.A butterfly of open fields and deciduous
forests. Native to eastern US from Florida to Texas, north to
Maine and Wisconsin. Spicebush swallowtail is a member of the blue and
black swallowtail complex, in which all members are protected by
resembling the poisonous members. It is very similar to the Eastern Black Swallowtail, but can be distinguished by the missing orange spot beneath. It is also similar to the Pipevine Swallowtail, but that species has smaller white spots, and only one row of orange spots beneath. |
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