Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

[c.j.]

CJ's Desert Dwellers: Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly Battus philenor

Length:70-112 mm (2.75 - 4.5in)
Wingspan: 106 mm (4.25 in)
Family: Papilionida
Range:AZ, CA, NZ, UT, CO, NM, generally below 2,000 meters (6,000 ft) elevation

Key Field marks: upperhind wing iridescent blue with ONE ROW of submarginal spots, underhind wing iridescent blue with one row of roundish orange spots (pictured)

More than 600 species worldwide, but fewer than 30 species occur in North America.

This insect, the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly Battus philenor, matures from a caterpillar that only feeds on Pipevine or Indian Root Aristolochia watsonii. Pipevine is found throughout most of southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Seeing the butterfly tells the experienced naturalist that the plant is likely nearby. The conspicuous caterpillar is red with fleshy tubercles.

The host plant has a chemical called aritolochoic acid which most herbivorous insects find distasteful. The larva of the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly is unaffected and stores the acid. It is passes on to the pupa and adult, which, because of it's unpleasant flavor, helps deter predation.




This Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly Battus philenor, is nectaring on a Scarlet Sage salvia coccinea.

Handheld
Slight Crop
shutter - 1/1000
f - 7.1
ISO 400

[Knight]

Beautiful Capture CJ

[AmberC]

Very pretty!

[paulnj]

Once again ! great use of DOF!