THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
Swallowtail ButterflyIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Swallowtails are butterflies in Papilionidae. Many have tail-like extensions on the hindwings, but those extensions are not present in every species.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
Use both upper and lower wing patterns, location and season. Yellow-and-black and dark forms occur in multiple species. A caterpillar needs a separate identification based on its markings and host plant.
Host plants are species-specific
Different swallowtails use different plants as caterpillars. Adults commonly visit flowers. A planting plan needs the particular local species, rather than a universal swallowtail host list.
What to do next
Photograph the butterfly without capturing it. To support it in a garden, match locally native host plants to the species documented in your region.
Swallowtail Butterfly: species profiles
Explore 41 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
(c) Kristy Morley, some rights reserved (CC BY)Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
Old World Swallowtail
Papilio machaon
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
Papilio troilus
Eastern Giant Swallowtail
Heraclides cresphontes
Scarce Swallowtail
Iphiclides podalirius
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Common Mormon Swallowtail
Papilio polytes
Lime Swallowtail
Papilio demoleus
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio canadensis
Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Papilio zelicaon
Showing 12 of 41 species. Browse all in Lepidoptera →
Sources and further reading
- mdc.mo.gov - butterflies skippershttps://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/butterflies-skippers
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.