Black Swallowtail Butterfly
The black swallowtail butterfly is a large blue, black, golden yellow, and cream speckled beauty. Black Swallowtails are also known as Eastern Black Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, American Swallowtail, and the Parsnip Butterfly.
Male and Female Markings Differ
Male Black Swallowtail
The male black swallowtail butterfly is a glossy black-colored butterfly with three rows of brightly colored markings of yellow and blue.
Adults are our best-known swallowtail, jet-black with the outer edge of the wings marked with two rows of yellow spots, and a peculiar eyespot on the inner margin of each hind-wing. spots on the hind wings are bluish
Between the rows of yellow scales, which are particularly in females.
Start your search for them is from June 1 – August 1. Higher numbers are always seen during July.
Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on dill, fennel, parsley, and common meadow rue plants.
The male and female have different color variations.
Female Black Swallowtail Butterfly
The female black swallowtail butterfly to me appears to be a lighter color black than the males. It isn’t as striking.
The female doesn’t have the top first row of yellow markings on the wings as the male does.
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
The caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is spotted with yellow and feeds on celery, parsley, parsnips, and nearly related plants.
Like many members of this family, it has a pair of peculiar, orange-colored, membranous horns, which protrude from between the segments close to the head and give off quite a disagreeable odor.
These are defensive organs, for they appear only when the caterpillar is disturbed.
Additional Reads:
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Feeding & Attracting Butterflies
Butterfly Nectar Recipe
What The Caterpillar Eats In The Garden
Sharing Is Caring. Pin Me.
Plants The Caterpillar Eats
The butterfly commonly feeds on many different members of the parsley family, including parsley, carrots, dill, and parsnip.
- Cumin
- Dill
- Fennel
- Parsley
- Anise
- Celery
- Chervil
- Coriander
- Caraway
More Butterflies, Moths & Skippers
Additional Posts
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