Polk County’s Most Wanted – Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
Have you seen the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly?
In a joint effort to expand the knowledge and understanding of the flora and fauna of Polk County, Conserving Carolina and botanist David Campbell need your help in locating this month’s “Polk County’s Most Wanted—Animal”— the largest species of Butterfly in North America, the aptly named Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).
Colored dark, chocolate brown, with prominent areas of yellow on its wings and body and with a wingspan of up to a whopping six inches, the Giant Swallowtail is a beautiful and distinctive member of our insect fauna. Ranging from the southern United States and up into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, the Giant Swallowtail is widely distributed in eastern North America; however, this species of butterfly is far less common, and very localized, in the northern reaches of its range. In North Carolina, the Giant Swallowtail is most often encountered along the coast and becomes increasingly rare the further one travels inland.
The larval hostplants for the Giant Swallowtail are always members of the Rue family. Indeed, in the state of Florida this butterfly is sometimes considered a pest of commercial orange growers and has earned itself the nickname of ‘Orange Dog’ as a result. Within North Carolina, caterpillars may be found on Prickly-ash along the coast and Hoptree in the Piedmont and mountains. The caterpillar resembles a bird dropping, and may be readily searched for on leaf surfaces or along stems of suitable hostplants.
The Giant Swallowtail may be observed as a stray, away from the coast, nectaring on flowers in a variety of situations. Breeding populations away from the coast are very rare but do exist where suitable amounts of Hoptree are found. There are typically two broods (flight periods) in NC, ranging from May into September, depending on location.
Recently, sightings of this species have been recorded in Polk County in close proximity to populations of Hoptree. Although no larvae have been found yet, it is quite possible that Giant Swallowtails breed in Polk County in low numbers. Hoptree is a distinctive shrub (sometimes a small tree) and is often found along rock outcrops, bluffs, or along streams in areas of mafic soils. By familiarizing yourself with Hoptree, you may be fortunate enough to find the caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail. Planting a small grove of Hoptree in your own backyard may even induce a stray female of this species to lay a few eggs, as happened elsewhere on occasion.
If you think that you have seen the Giant Swallowtail in Polk County, please send photos, questions or comments to Pam Torlina at Conserving Carolina by phone at (828)697-5777, ext. 300 or email, pam@conservingcarolina.org.