Papilio palamedes
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Papilio palamedes, the Palamedes swallowtail or laurel swallowtail, is a North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. The upperside of the wings is blackish brown with both wings having a yellow postmedian band and a yellow submarginal band. There is a yellow bar at the end of the forewing cell. The underside of the wings is black with the forewing having a yellow postmedian band and a yellow submarginal band. The hindwing has a few colored bands; the first being cream; the second, orange; the third, blue; and the fourth, orange. There is a yellow streak on the inner margin of the hindwing which runs parallel to the body. The wingspan ranges from 4+1⁄2 to 5+1⁄8 inches (11 to 13 cm).
This species may be found in habitats such as cypress swamplands, coastal swamplands, wet riparian forests, bay forests, and savannas in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. Their longer tongues allow for specific plant-pollinator relationships with plant species such as Platanthera ciliaris in coastal-plain habitats.
The Palamedes swallowtail is encountered from May to October in southeastern Virginia and from March to December... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Palamedes Swallowtail sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Palamedes Swallowtail in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and November–February, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 210 mm in September.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palamedes Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Palamedes Swallowtail sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%), Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 20%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Palamedes Swallowtail that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Black Swallowtail (about 10%), Eastern Giant Swallowtail (about 10%) and Spicebush Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palamedes Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
