Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 4 - 6¼ inches (8.6 - 14 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Dark brown. Two yellow bands converge near wing tips. Blue crescents over orange-and-black eyespots on inner hindwing.  Body dark with yellow sides. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Yellow with blue band and irregularly shaped chestnut patch. Tails spoon shaped with yellow centers.

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

Egg: Round, dusky orange. Deposited singly on host plants.

Caterpillar: Brown with white patches on end, middle, and upper body; scattered small blue spots; thorax enlarged with two dark, eye-like pits. Osmeteria bright red.

Chrysalis: Crusty brown; resembles broken twig. The overwintering stage.

Giant Swallowtails are impressive: except for the occasional female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, they are Alabama's largest butterflies. Their flight is strong and graceful, and they often glide significant distances between wingbeats. When nectaring, their wings are in constant motion.

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. Chrysalides are crusty brown and resemble broken twigs.

Giant Swallowtails range across the eastern United States and the lower Southwest.  In Alabama, they are widespread and on the wing spring through fall.

 

 

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, Chilton, 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, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Washington, Wilcox

  • Map Symbol for Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 years
  • Map Symbol for Semi-Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
  • Map Symbol for Old Sightings Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

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

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 4 5 21 30 18 9 10 11 1 14 12 25 27 26 29 27 15 26 21 86 19 42 31 81 46 32 35 26 21 10 1 3 1

Habitat

Natural and disturbed open areas including herb gardens, citrus groves,sandhills, flatwoods, woodland edges,fencerows, pastures, open pinelands.

Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Richard Buckner/AL Plant Atlas
Wafer Ash
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Open pineland with Hercules Club
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Fred Nation/AL Plant Atlas
Disturbed woodland with Trifoliate Orange

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.

Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Hercules Club
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Hercules Club bark
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Hercules Club thorns
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© SuaAnne Jensen Pendley
Trifoliate Orange
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Wafer Ash
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
County
© Sara Bright
Wafer Ash

Landscaping Ideas

Egg-laying Giant Swallowtails may visit 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.).