Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Size:
Wingspan is 2 3/8 - 3 3/4 inches.

Similar Species:
Pipevine Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Habitat:
Open areas, fields, meadows, power line cuts, gardens and tidal marshes.

Range/Abundance:
Uncommon to common. Perhaps more common in the piedmont and coastal regions. Likely can found anywhere in the region.

Flight Period:
Adults fly from late March until late September with at least three broods and no apparent gaps between broods.

Larval Host Plants:
Most members of the carrot family Umbelliferae including Dill Anethum graveolens, Fennel Foeniculum vulgare, Parsley Petroselinum crispum, Common Rue Ruta graveolens and Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota to name a few.

Comments:
Black Swallowtail is easy to raise in your garden all you need to do is plant fennel, dill or parsley and wait for them to show up. Bronze Fennel is best as it lives for years and grows to 5 foot tall and it reseeds easily.

The mated female on the right was mated before she ever took flight. The males were patrolling my garden for several days waiting for the females to emerge.

Upperside images of
Black Swallowtails (page 2)

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