Spicebush Swallowtail

Description:

Swallowtails are fairly difficult to photograph because they keep moving their wings even while they feed. My little point-and-shoot is no match for them, but I did just barely manage to squeeze out a shot while this one rested momentarily on some leaves.

Habitat:

Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, fields, roadsides, yards, pine barrens, wooded swamps, and parks. Range: Eastern states from southern Canada to Florida; west to Oklahoma and central Texas. Occasionally strays to North Dakota, central Colorado, and Cuba. Caterpillar Hosts: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum); perhaps prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), and redbay (Persea borbonia). Adult Food: Nectar from Japanese honeysuckle, jewelweed, thistles, milkweed, azalea, dogbane, lantana, mimosa, and sweet pepperbush.

Notes:

Spotted near the Lake Allatoona Visitor's Center, Cartersville, GA