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Butterfly Details
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Black Swallowtail |
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Scientific Name: | Papilio polyxenes |
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Common Name: | Black Swallowtail |
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Native Location: | Missouri |
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Description: | You won't find this butterfly in the flight house, it is one of the 165 or so butterflies native to Missouri. We are highlighting this butterfly because it is commonly found in and around many people's yards this time of year. The larvae eat parsley, dill, fennel, anise, carrots and other plants in this group, so they are common in many herb beds and gardens. The adults love to visit flowers, especially buddleija, asters, ironweed, joe-pye weed and others. They don't eat a lot, so if you don't mind a little hole or two, you can watch them develop into adults. Some gardeners actually plant patches specifically for the butterflies! Butterflies like the black swallowtial may make your yards and gardens their home if there are no chemical pesticides used. Pesticides are not always specific, and spraying them may kill many insects besides the actual target. |
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Host Plant: | parsley, dill, golden alexander, fennel |
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Butterfly of Month on: | July 2007 |
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All Photos by Mark Deering, Curator of Butterflies ©2005
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