Appearance
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 of the Northern California subspecies, "Battus philenor hirsuta", are smaller and hairier.
Pipevine Swallowtails 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.
Distribution
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.
Behavior
Males patrol for females in suitable habitats. Females will lay clusters of one to twenty reddish-brown eggs on the underside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars are gregarious, while older larvae are solitary.The caterpillars will eat the leaves, stems, and seed capsules of the host plant. The larvae are either black or smoky red. Many fleshy filaments project from the sides of the body, the longest being on the anterior end.
Over the dorsal part of the body are two rows of orange-red warts. The chrysalis is brown or green, with two horns on the head, a point on the thorax, and a ridge on each side of the abdomen. The abdomen is often patched with yellow. The chrysalis hibernates in areas with cold winters.
Habitat
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.References:
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