science education resource

Butterfly (Black Swallowtail)

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Papilo polyxenes
Butterfly (Black Swallowtail)

Range

They are found in southern Canada from Quebec west to Saskatchewan, south into the eastern U.S., in Colorado and parts of California south to South America.

Habitat

They live in fields, farms and gardens.

Body Traits

They have dark wings with rows of yellow spots. On the inside edge of each hind wing there is an orange eye spot with a black dot in the center. They have a row of blue patches between the rows of yellow spots. Their wingspan is up to 3.5".

Habits

Their caterpillar may be a garden pest. They hibernate as a chrysalis.

Diet

Leaves of plants in the parsley, wild carrot, celery and dill.

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Reproduction

Females lay a single egg on leaves. When young hatch, they start eating.

Butterfly (Black Swallowtail)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class:     Insecta
Order:     Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus:     Papilio
Species: P. polyxenes

Citing Research References

When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).

When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.

Here is an example of citing this page:

Amsel, Sheri. "Butterfly (Black Swallowtail)" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. March 25, 2024
< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Butterfly-Black-Swallowtail >

Exploringnature.org has more than 2,000 illustrated animals. Read about them, color them, label them, learn to draw them.