Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly #4 is a photograph by Karen Adams which was uploaded on February 27th, 2013.
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly #4
A lovely little Pipevine swallowtail butterfly enjoying a sip from a butterfly bush bloom.
Pipevine Swallowtail is the common name for the... more
by Karen Adams
Title
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly #4
Artist
Karen Adams
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A lovely little Pipevine swallowtail butterfly enjoying a sip from a butterfly bush bloom.
Pipevine Swallowtail is the common name for the scientific classification "Battus philenor" (Linnaeus, 1771) A member of the Papilionidae family and subfamily, Papilioninae.
You can identify these by looking at the upper surface of hindwing which is an iridescent blue or blue-green. While the underside of hindwing is decorated with a submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field. The wing span can vary from 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).
Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.
In the eastern US and California, adults fly primarily in late spring (though as early as late February or March) and summer, but the butterfly is more common in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults may fly continuously. In lowland tropical Mexico they may be found in any month. This particular shot was taken in September in Ohio . . . so I hope he flew south soon after this!
Food for these beautiful creatures consists solely of nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
They can be found in a variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.
The Pipevine range is broad . . . on rare occasion they may stray to Canada (s. Manitoba) and go all the way to tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.
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Uploaded
February 27th, 2013
