A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Battus philenor
he Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is a swallowtail butterfly found in North and West 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. 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. The upper surface of the hind wings are an iridescent blue or blue-green with pale, arrow-head markings. Males have brighter metallic regions than females. The underside of the hind wing has seven orange submarginal spots surrounded by iridescent blue. Both surfaces of the fore wings are black or dull blackish-brown. Individuals are smaller and hairier in northern California. Pipevine Swallowtails or also called Battus Philenor, can have a wingspan to up to three and a half inches. Battus Philenor can usually be found in fields, meadows, gardens, parks, open woods, roadsides and stream sides.
The butterfly ranges from across USA to Mexico, Islas Marías and onto Guatemala and Costa Rica.It rarely strays into southern Ontario.In the United States, the butterfly is found in New England down to Florida west to Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Oregon.
The Pipevine Swallowtail is mimicked by many species, including the dark morph female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), the Spicebush Swallowtail (P. troilus), the Black Swallowtail (P. polyxenes), the Ozark Swallowtail (P. joanae), the sympatric subspecies Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and the female Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana).