Battus philenor
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. Caterpillars are often black or red, and feed on compatible plants of the genus Aristolochia. They are known for sequestering acids from the plants they feed on in order to defend themselves from predators by being poisonous when consumed. The adults feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers. Some species of Aristolochia are toxic to the larvae, typically tropical varieties. While enthusiasts have led citizen efforts to conserve pipevine swallowtails in their neighborhoods on the West coast, the butterfly has not been the subject of a formal program in conservation or protected in legislation. The butterfly is however of "Special Concern" in Michigan, which is on the Northern limit of its range.
The pipevine swallowtail was first identified in 1771 by Linnaeus and originally was placed in the genus Papilo, as was typical for butterflies. In 1777, it was moved to the genus Battus by Scopoli. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pipevine Swallowtail sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 851 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pipevine Swallowtail in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pipevine Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Pipevine Swallowtail sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 30%) and San Antonio (United States, about 30%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Pipevine Swallowtail that you can see in Austin (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Black Swallowtail (about 20%), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (about 10%) and Western Giant Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pipevine Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (851 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
