The Pipevine Swallowtail - A sweet looking, nasty tasting butterfly
Photos by Laura Bennett-Kimble: This female Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly was recently spotted at a Lake County sandhill where Florida Native Plant Society volunteers were rescuing native plants prior to site development. At another Central Florida native plant rescue project, this male Pipevine Swallowtail was seen flying across a section of the property that previously had been bulldozed and became populated with nonnative cogon, natal and other grasses. It can be identified by the metallic blue on its lower wings. This tiny Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar was at the same site, in an area that had not yet been disturbed. Pipevine Swallowtails ( Battus philenor ) share something in common with Monarchs and several other butterflies: Whether in the caterpillar or butterfly stage of life, these species are not at all tasty and can be downright toxic when ingested – not that I know from personal experience, mind you. This aspect of the species is because their larval diet consists ...