Pipevine Swallowtail - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 2 - 3 inches (7.0-8.6 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Black with striking blue or blue-green iridescence on hindwings. Females have less iridescence. Single row of light spots crosses hindwing (more prominent in female). UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Black; arc of seven bright orange spots crosses metallic blue area. Tails stubby. Spring individuals are smaller.

ID Tip: There is no trace of red, orange or yellow on top wing surfaces. Fllutters constantly when nectaring.

Egg: Round, dark orange; laid singly or in clusters.

Caterpillar: Usually dusky black but young larvae may be rusty red. Dark, fleshy tentacles extend from body, with longest just behind head. Rows of short orange tentacles extend over length of body. Osmeterium orange.

Chrysalis: Mottled green or brown, depending on season and surface texture. Highly sculpted and angled with curves and horns. The only camouflaged life cycle stage. The overwintering stage.

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Pipevine Swallowtails are widespread in Alabama. These distasteful butterflies are the center of a mimicry ring that includes at least six palatable species. Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars obtain toxic chemicals (aristocholic acids) from their host plants; they retain these as adult butterflies. The chemicals are distasteful to birds, which learn to avoid the black and orange caterpillars, orange eggs, as well as the large black-and-blue, orange-spotted butterflies. All carry warning colors (orange and black) that advertise their toxicity. Dark female Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, dark female Appalachian Tiger Swallowtails, female Spicebush Swallowtails, female Black Swallowtails, female Diana Fritillaries, and Red-spotted Purples have developed similar color patterns that give them some protection from predators.

Pipevine Swallowtails flutter constantly when nectaring--a characteristic that can help in identification. Males patrol to look for females and may gather in groups to sip from wet sand or muddy roads. Female Pipevine Swallowtails deposit eggs on new growth and do not hesitate to use small Pipevine sprouts. Eggs are often laid in groups rather than singly. Virginia Snakeroot plants are usually only a few inches tall, so caterpillars may be required to search the woodland floor for additional food as they grow. Broods from the spring and early summer typically form green chrysalides that are attached to green leaves or stems. This species spends the winter in the pupal stage, so as day lengths shorten, caterpillars are triggered to form brown chrysalides. They usually attach to something non-deciduous like bark or stone, which offers better stability and protection for winter months.

Except for the Pacific Northwest, Pipevine Swallowtails range throughout the United States. In Alabama, they occur statewide and can sometimes be seen in large numbers where pipevine is abundant.

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, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

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

High count(s):

63 - Jackson - 7/24/2019
40 - Colbert - 8/30/2024
40 - Perry - 7/11/2015

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
						3	23	55	84	193	543	313	157	140	182	94	95	205	231	319	145	133	218	197	199	88	349	144	187	183	281	147	156	142	179	127	54	21	19	2

In or near deciduous woodlands, stream and river banks, open woodland edges. Includes gardens.

Throughout their range, Pipevine Swallowtails use plants in the Birthwort family (Aristolochiacea) as their caterpillar hosts.

The following species have been documented in Alabama:

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

Plant Pipevine, also called Dutchman’s Pipe, to attract Pipevine Swallowtails. Pipevine is a deciduous vine with large, heat-shaped leaves and curious, pipe-shaped flowers. It requires support so provide a trellis, arbor, or fence. Pipevine spreads underground by sending out root runners. Typically, the only maintenance required is cutting back or potting up the sprouts that occur from these runners. Share with your friends because Pipevine is seldom found in the conventional nursery trade. Acquire it at local native plant sales or specialty mail order nurseries.

Swallowtails are avid nectarers and are especially attracted to native wildflowers such as milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), Joe Pye Weeds (Eutrochium spp.), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), blazing stars (Liatris spp.), and phloxes (Phlox spp.). Flowering trees and shrubs such as Chickasaw and American Plum (Prunus angustifolia and P. americana), Coastal Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) and native azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) are also important nectar sources.

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) 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.