Giant Swallowtail - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)

Butterfly: Wingspan: 4 - 6¼ inches (8.6 - 14 cm). The forewing has a diagonal band of yellow spots. Tails are edged with black and filled with yellow. Giant Swallowtails are generally the largest butterflies in Alabama. The sexes are similar, but females are slightly larger.

ID Tip: Giant Swallowtails are predominately dark brown on top and creamy yellow beneath. Their flapping wings create a strobe effect.

Egg: Round,dusky orange eggs are deposited singly on host plants.

Caterpillar: Larvae strongly resemble bird droppings. Exact patterns change as caterpillars molt and grow, but they retain the basic brown with cream-and-white patches coloration. Older larvae often rest on twigs; young caterpillars lay on top of leaves--exactly where bird droppings occur Fully grown caterpillars look like small brown snakes when viewed head-on. If frightened, caterpillars heighten the startle effect by rearing back and assuming an angry snake's posture. Bright red osmeteria are extruded, which resemble a viper's tongue. These organs also emit a foul odor.

Chrysalis: Crusty brown. Resembles a broken twig. The chrysalis is the overwintering stage.

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Giant Swallowtails are impressive: except for the occassional female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, they are Alabama's largest butterflies. Their flight is strong and graceful, and they often glide significant distances between wingbeats. Look for these butterflies in natural areas that support Prickly Ashes (Zanthoxylum spp.) or Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata). They may also be found in cultivated landscapes that include Rue (Ruta graveolens) and/or citrus trees.

Distribution and Abundance

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Choctaw, Clarke, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Shelby, St. Clair, sumter, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Washington, Wilcox

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

38 - Cleburne - 8/27/2020
18 - DeKalb - 10/1/2019
15 - Perry - 7/29/2019

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
			1			1		2	4	20	28	17	9	8	11	1	14	12	24	24	25	24	27	12	24	18	70	18	33	31	79	31	30	30	23	20	9		1			3					1

Habitat

Ranges widely across open areas including herb gardens and citrus groves.

Giant Swallowtail (*Heraclides cresphontes*)

County

© Richard Buckner/AL Plant Atlas

Wafer Ash

Host and Nectar Plants

Throughout their range, Giant Swallowtails eat a wide variety of plants that belong to the Citrus family (Rutaceae).

In addition to the plants highlighted in blue below, Giant Swallowtails also use these plants as hosts:

Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Sweet Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia)
Tangelo (Citrus x tangelo)
Giant Key Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu)
Grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi)
Meyer Lemon (Citrus x meyeri)

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Landscaping Ideas

Giant Swallowtails may be attracted to herb gardens that include Rue (which they may share with Black Swallowtail caterpillars). They may also be attracted to various citrus plants, either potted or in the ground.

Swallowtails are avid nectarers and are especially attracted to native wildflowers such as bee balms (Monarda spp.) milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), Joe Pye Weeds (Eutrochium spp.), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), blazing stars (Liatris spp.), and phloxes (Phlox spp.).

Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.