Butterflies

Butterfly and Moth Image Gallery : Butterflies

Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail)

The Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly has a wingspan from 3.75 to 4.5 inches. The gracefully curved forewings are black. Hindwings have a blue-green iridescence on the upperside and on the outer half of the underside. The undersides also have a row of black-ringed large round spots.

This butterfly species lives in fields, meadows, and other areas near forests and damp streambeds. They use the Aristolochia plant species such as A. serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot) and A. tomentosa (wooly pipevine) as host plants for the larval stage. The female lays her eggs on these plants. Larvae are dark brown to light tan and have pairs of bumps down each side.

The Pipevine Swallowtail is a locally common permanent breeding species throughout all of the state of Illinois except the northern counties.

Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photographed by Dr. Everett Cashatt
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Butterfly and Moth Image Gallery : Butterflies

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