Black Swallowtail

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Black Swallowtail 
Papilio polyxenes

Wing span: 
3 1/4 to 4 1/4  inches 

Caterpillar hosts plants: 
leaves of parsley family (Apiaceae) including carrott, Daucus; celery, Apium; dill, Anethum; Queen anne's lace, Daucus

Adult food:  
nectar of alfalfa, Medicago; butterflyweed and milkweed, Asclepias; phlox, Phlox; Queen Anne's lace, Daucus; red clover, Trifolium; thistles, Cirsium

Habitat: 
open areas, including fields, marshes, roadsides, stream banks, suburbs 

Notes:  
females lay eggs singly on host leaves and flowers, hibernates as chrysalis, males perch and patrol to locate females, puddles
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