An Easy Butterfly Gardener’s Guide to Norfolk, VA Swallowtails and their Host Plants

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 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 Norfolk area. These include:

• Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) — a small native tree in the outlying areas.
• Hercule’s-Club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis) — a small tree that is native and rare in the area.
• Hardy orange (Citrus trifoliata) — an introduced shrub to small tree that is in the outlying areas.
• Common Rue (Ruta graveolens) — an introduced herbaceous plant that can be grown in the area.

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 (7.5 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 Norfolk, Virginia 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)
• Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)

The Palamedes swallowtail flies generally in the coastal plain of the east and gulf coasts of the United States. The light greenish-yellow eggs are laid on the host plants. The caterpillar is brown and has smaller eyespots than that of the spicebush swallowtail. The brown chrysalis is placed in on trunks or on fallen leaves.

The adults have a wingspan of 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) to 5.25 inches (13.25 cm) and are black with whitish-yellow to yellow spots on the upperside of the wing. The underside is more prominently yellow with blue markings. Generally there are two broods per year.

One source says the palamedes swallowtail is the most abundant swallowtail in the Dismal Swamp area (Clark 1936).

Plants that Host the Palamedes Swallowtail

The palamedes swallowtail, like the spicebush swallowtail, uses members of the Laurel Family (Lauraceae) as host plants. Some species in Norfolk, Virginia area include:

• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
• Swampbay (Persea palustris)

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 (7 cm) to 3.5 inches (8.5 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. This butterfly may have up to three broods and flies till early October (Clark 1938).

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 (Apiaceae) as host plants. Some examples of carrot family members in Norfolk include:

• Hairy Angelica (Angelica venosa): a herbaceous plant
• Spotted Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata): a herbaceous plant
• Hemlock Water-Parsnip (Sium suave): a herbacous plant
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): an introduced herbaceous plant which was found to be the primary host plant for this species on the eastern shore of Virginia (Dombrowski and Mills 1996).
• Herbwilliam (Ptilimnium capillaceum): a herbaceous plant
• Aniseroot (Osmorhiza longistylis): a herbaceous plant (native in outlying areas)
• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea): a herbaceous plant (native in outlying areas)

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). Both of these species are found in the Norfolk area and the spicebush swallowtail only feeds on members of the Lauraceae (Scriber et al 2008).

• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) — An understory tree

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 Norfolk, VA area include:

• Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
• Joe-Pye-Weeds (Eutrochium spp.)
• Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) — Also benefit the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
• Coastal Sweet-Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)
• Coneflowers (Rudbeckia spp.)
• Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.)