An Easy Butterfly Gardener’s Guide to Orlando, FL Swallowtails and their Host Plants

Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus)

The zebra swallowtail flies in the mid-western and eastern United States. The green to brown eggs are laid on the leaves of the host plant, which is the pawpaw. The caterpillars have two color variations, first black and then later stages are more colorful with green and yellow stripes. The brown chrysalis can overwinter in places of cold temperatures (Wikipedia).

The black and white multi-colored adults have a wingspan of 2.5 to 4.5 inches and fly from February to December with a more restricted season in more northern places. The early season brood can be smaller and has a shorter tail than the later summer brood that is larger and has a long tail (animaldiversity.org).

Plants that Host the Zebra Swallowtail

The zebra swallowtail uses members of the Custard Apple Family (Annonaceae) as host plants. In the Orlando area, there are several pawpaws (Asimina spp.) that are used as hosts. In the outlying areas towards the Atlantic Coast and south a pond-apple (Annona glabra) can be used as a host.

• Woolly Pawpaw (Asimina incana): a shrub
• Big-Flower Pawpaw (Asimina obovata) (Minno 1992): a shrub or small tree
• Small-flower Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora): a shrub
• Dwarf Pawpaw (Asimina pygmea): a shrub
• Netted Pawpaw (Asimina reticulata): a shrub

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 two primary species and one genus in the Orlando area. These include:

• Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) — a small native tree
• Hercule’s-Club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis) — a small tree that is native to the area.
• Members of the Citrus genus (Minno 1992) — various shrubs and trees

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).

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 that are generally shrubs and trees. Some species in the Orlando, FL area include:

• Members of the Prunus genus (Cherries and Plums): shrubs and trees
• American Basswood (Tilia americana): a medium to large tree
• Members of the Fraxinus genus (Ash): trees
• Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera): a large tree
• American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana): a small tree
• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum): a tree

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 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.

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 Orlando, Florida area include:

• Red Bay (Persea borbonia) (Scriber, et al 2000): a small tree
• Silk Bay (Persea humilis): a shrub or tree
• Swampbay (Persea palustris): a small tree
• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum): a tree

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 (7cm) to 3.5 inches (8.5cm) 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 Orlando include:

• Spotted Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata): a herbaceous plant
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): an introduced herbaceous plant
• Rattlesnake-Master (Eryngium aquaticum): a herbaceous plant
• Button Eryngo (Eryngium yuccifolium): a herbaceous plant
• Herbwilliam (Ptilimnium capillaceum): 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 (10.1 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). However, spicebush is not native to Orlando. But the spicebush swallowtail only feeds on members of the Lauraceae (Scriber et al 2008) and there are other species such the bays (Persea). However, only the more southern butterflies seem to be able to survive on Persea (Scriber, et al 2000).

• Red Bay (Persea borbonia): a small tree
• Silk Bay (Persea humilis): a shrub or tree
• Swampbay (Persea palustris): a small tree
• 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 to get nourishment. Nectar plants can also help other insects such as bees. Some common nectar plants that can be grown in the Orlando, Florida area include:

• Goldenrods (Solidago spp.): a genus of herbaceous plants
• Trumpetweed (Eutrochium fistulosum): a herbaceous plant
• Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) — Also benefit the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus): a genus of herbaceous plants
• Coastal Sweet-Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia): a shrub
• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.): a genus of herbaceous plants
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): a herbaceous plant
• Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.): a genus of herbaceous plants
• Blood Sage (Salvia coccinea) (Minno 1992): a herbaceous plant
• Carolina Redroot (Lachnanthes caroliniana) (Minno 1992): a herbaceous plant
• Nuttall’s Thistle (Cirsium nuttallii) (Minno 1992): a herbaceous plant