spicebush swallowtail |
 |
||||||
Papilio troilus |
|||||||
| Order | Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) |
||||||
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea (Butterflies) |
||||||
| Family | Papilionidae (Swallowtails) |
||||||
| Subfamily | Papilioninae (Swallowtails) |
||||||
| Flight | Two broods from April to October. |
||||||
| Habitat | Deciduous woodlands and open areas near woodlands, woodland edges, fields, roadsides, yards, pine barrens, wooded swamps, and parks. |
||||||
| Larval Hosts | Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Pondspice (Litsea aestivalis) Red, Swamp and Silk Bays (Persea spp.); perhaps Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), and Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora). Of these, only Prickly Ash is found in Minnesota. |
||||||
| Adult Food | Nectar from Japanese Honeysuckle, Jewelweed, thistles, milkweed, azalea, dogbane, lantana, mimosa, and sweet pepperbush. |
||||||
| Identification | |||||||
| Similar Species |
|
||||||
| Sightings |
Apple Valley Zoo |
||||||
| Comments | spicebush swallowtail is not found in Minnesota, though strays have been reported in the state. With the exception of Prickly Ash, none of the plants on which the female lays its eggs occur in the state. The photo on this page was taken at the Apple Valley Zoo. |
||||||
| Images | Click on an image for a larger view. | ||||||
|
|||||||