An Easy Butterfly Gardener’s Guide to Burlington, VT Swallowtails and their Host Plants

The Burlington, Vermont metro area covers Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties.

Burlington, Vermont is located in the Lake Champlain valley in Zone 5. To the east, is the Green Mountains and zone 4. When selecting plants you will want to get those that can handle temperatures as cold as -25F to be sure they will survive.

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

The pipevine swallowtail flies throughout the United States, except for the Pacific Northwest. It has orange-brown eggs that are laid on the host plant. The black to brown to red caterpillar with orange markings comes out in the spring. They then overwinter as a pupa (Monroe and Wright 2017).

In the spring and into the summer the adult butterflies start to fly. They have a wingspan of 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) to 5 inches (12.7 cm) inches and are black colored with white markings and have a greenish reflection.

Plants that Host the Pipevine Swallowtail

The pipevine swallowtail is generally hosted by members of the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae). In the Burlington, VT area these include:

• Pipevine (Isotrema macrophyllum): As the name would suggest this is the main host plant and a vine.
• Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense): a herbaceous plant.

Canadian Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)

The canadian swallowtail flies through the northeast and northern tier of the United States including Alaska and Canada. It has orange-brown eggs that are laid on the host plant. The caterpillar is brown at first to look like a bird dropping and then turns green later. The pupa then overwinters to emerge in the spring.

In the spring the adult butterflies start to fly. They have a wingspan of 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) to 3 inches (7.6 cm) inches and are yellow with black striped markings. It differs in coloration from the eastern tiger swallowtail in that the black stripes are not continuous to the bottom.

Plants that Host the Canadian Swallowtail

The canadian swallowtail, like the tiger swallowtails, are generalists. They use members of a number of genera as hosts, primarily from members of the Birch Family (Betulaceae), Rose Family (Rosaceae), Willow Family (Salicaceae), and the Maple Family (Aceraceae). In the Burlington, VT area these include:

• Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina): a tree
• Cultivated Apple (Malus pumila): a introduced tree
• Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides): a tree
• Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) a tree
• White Ash (Fraxinus americana): a tree

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)

The giant swallowtail flies throughout the United States and southeast Canada, except for the northwest. Beyond North America it ranges into Central America and the Caribbean Islands. It is the largest butterfly in North America (Wikipedia). It has brownish-orange eggs that are laid on the host plants. The caterpillars have five stages or instars before pupating, which takes about two weeks. The adult butterflies have a wingspans ranging from about 5.5 inches (14 cm) to 7.5 inches (19.1 cm) and are black and yellow colored.

Plants that Host the Giant Swallowtail

The giant swallowtail is hosted by members of the Rutaceae, of which there are three primary plants in the Burlington area. These include:

• Toothache tree (Zanthoxylum americanum) — a small to medium sized tree
• Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) — a rare small tree in Pennsylvania
• Common Rue (Ruta graveolens) — a herbaceous plant

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

The Eastern Tiger swallowtail flies in the mid-western and eastern United States from the Rocky Mountains and east. In the Eastern US it is likely one of the most distinctive swallowtails. The light green eggs are laid on the host plants. The caterpillar has five stages; with the first three a brown color and the last two as a green color. The brown chrysalis is placed in on trunks or on fallen leaves.

The adults have a wingspan of 3 inches (7.6 cm) to 5.5 inches (14 cm) and have two color schemes. The yellow and black is the most distinctive, but the females also have a dark black phase that mimics the pipevine swallowtail (see image). Generally there are two broods in Pennsylvania (Monroe and Wright 2017).

Plants that Host the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

The eastern tiger swallowtail is a generalist and uses members of a number of genera as host plants. Some species in the Burlington area include:

• Members of the Prunus genus (Cherries and Plums)
• Members of the Betula genus (Birch)
• Members of the Populus genus (Poplar and Cottonwood)
• Members of the Fraxinus genus (Ash)

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

The black swallowtail flies in most of the United States, except for the Northwest. The yellow eggs are laid on the host plants and take about a week to hatch. The caterpillars are at first black colored but later have green, black, and yellow coloring and last from a week to a month. The butterflies then survive the winter as a chrysalis.

The adults have a wingspan of 2.5 (6.4 cm) to 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) and are black colored with yellow spots along the wings and a red eyepsot near the tail on the top. The underside has orange spots. The black swallowtail has two broods in Vermont from May to August (Grehan and Linnane 1996).

Plants that Host the Black Swallowtail

Members of the Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

The black swallowtail is a generalist and uses members of the carrot family as host plants. Some examples of carrot family members in Burlington include:

• Purple-stem Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea): a herbaceous plant
• Spotted Water-Hemlock (Cicuta maculata): a herbaceous plant
• Canadian Honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis): a herbaceous plant
• Hairy Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii): a herbaceous plant
• Aniseroot (Osmorhiza longistylis): a herbaceous plant
• Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa): an introduced herbaceous plant
• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea): a herbaceous plant

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

The spicebush swallowtail flies in the mid-western and eastern United States. The greenish eggs are laid on the leaves of spicebush. The caterpillars are brown at first but then turn yellow. The chrysalis is attached to leaves on the ground.

The adults have a wingspan of 3 inches (7.6 cm) to 4 inches (10.2 cm) and are black with white spots along the bottom and a red eyespot on the bottom middle.

Plants that Host the Spicebush Swallowtail

As the common name would suggest, spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a host plant for the spicebush swallowtail as is the sassafras (Sassafras albidum), both of which are members of the Laurel Family (Lauraceae). Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) reaches the northern limit of its range in Burlington and is a rare species in Vermont. The spicebush swallowtail only feeds on members of the Lauraceae (Scriber et al 2008).

While the swallowtails need certain species of plants to use as hosts, the adults also need nectar plants to visit in order get nourishment. Nectar plants can also help other insects such as bees. Some common nectar plants that can be grown in the Burlington, VT area include:

• Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
• Joe-Pye-Weeds (Eutrochium spp.)
• Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) — Also benefit the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)
• Coneflowers (Rudbeckia spp.)