Pipevine Swallowtail

The Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is a swallowtail butterfly found in North and Central America. The butterflies are black with iridescent blue hind wings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests (Iftner et al. 1992). The black or red caterpillars feed on Aristolochia species, making them poisonous as both larvae and adults, while the adults feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers.

Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail, is one of the three North American species of tribe Triodini. (Triodini contains a total of 136 mostly tropical species worldwide.) This butterfly species is found year round in the Southeastern United States, and there is a non-migrant population in northern California. Because its host plants (Aristoluchia species) make larvae (and adults) poisonous to predators, B. philenor is mimicked by many other species with similar ranges, such as the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), the spicebush swallowtail (P. troilus), the black swallowtail (P. polyxenes), the Ozark swallowtail (P. joanae), the red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) and the female Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana). (Scott, 1986.)