Native plants for the black swallowtail

Black swallowtail

Papilio polyxenes

An elegant dark swallowtail of meadows and gardens, the classic parsleyworm.

Family

Papilionidae (swallowtails)

Wingspan

2.75 to 3.5 in (7 to 9 cm)

Flight season

Spring to fall (two or three broods)

Range

Eastern and central North America

Caterpillar food

Carrot family (golden alexanders, dill, parsley)

Conservation

Secure and widespread

The black swallowtail is a dark, graceful butterfly marked with two rows of yellow spots and a wash of iridescent blue, with an orange eyespot near each tail. It is common in open country, meadows, fields, and gardens.

Females lay their eggs on plants in the carrot family. In gardens the caterpillars famously feed on parsley, dill, and fennel, earning the name parsleyworm; in the wild they turn to native relatives such as golden alexanders.

Black swallowtail caterpillar — The banded caterpillar feeds on the carrot family and rears an orange scent gland when alarmed. CC0 · iNaturalist

The caterpillar is a showpiece, banded green, black, and yellow, and when threatened it everts a bright orange forked gland, the osmeterium, that gives off a sharp, protective scent.

It is one of the easiest butterflies to attract: grow members of the carrot family for the caterpillars and a range of nectar flowers for the adults. The plants below carry documented black swallowtail records.

Black swallowtail

Plants for the black swallowtail

Sources