Pipevine Swallowtail

What it is

Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. Caterpillars are often black or red, and feed on compatible plants of the genus Aristolochia. They are known for sequestering acids from the plants they feed on in order to defend themselves from predators by being...

Where and when to find it

Habitat

You can find Pipevine Swallowtails in the eastern and central United States, wherever their host plant, the pipevine, grows. They like open woodlands, meadows, and gardens.

How to find it

Look for the adult butterflies fluttering around pipevine plants or sipping nectar from other garden flowers. Watch for their unique caterpillars, which are dark and spiky with orange spots.

Best time of day

Daytime, spring through fall.

How it lives

What it eats

Caterpillars eat pipevine plants; adults drink flower nectar.

What eats it

Birds and other predators typically avoid them due to their bad taste.

Worth knowing

• Their beautiful blue-green color shimmers and looks different depending on the light.
• The caterpillars eat pipevine leaves, which are toxic to most animals, making the caterpillars and butterflies taste bad.
• Other butterflies sometimes copy their look to fool predators.
• The caterpillars sometimes look a bit like little dragons!
• They have long 'tails' on their hind wings, which gives them their 'swallowtail' name.
• Even though they are black, their wings can reflect stunning blue and green colors.

Why it matters

As caterpillars, they eat specific plants, which helps control those plants. As butterflies, they are important pollinators.