Papilio troilus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America. It has two subspecies, Papilio troilus troilus and Papilio troilus ilioneus, the latter found mainly in the Florida peninsula. The spicebush swallowtail derives its name from its most common host plant, the spicebush, members of the genus Lindera.
The family to which spicebush swallowtails belong, Papilionidae, or swallowtails, include the largest butterflies in the world. The swallowtails are unique in that even while feeding, they continue to flutter their wings. Unlike other swallowtail butterflies, spicebushes fly low to the ground instead of at great heights.
The spicebush swallowtail is found only in the eastern US and southern Ontario, but occasionally strays as far as the American plains states, Cuba, Manitoba and Colorado. While still larvae, spicebush swallowtails remain on the leaf of the plant on which they were laid. As adults, the butterflies do not limit their flight geographically and instead are motivated mostly by availability of water and nectar and mates within the species' range.
This primarily black... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spicebush Swallowtail sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spicebush Swallowtail in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in April and October–February, the lowest months. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in March.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spicebush 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.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Spicebush Swallowtail sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 40%), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 30%) and Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 30%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Spicebush 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 Palamedes Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spicebush Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (14 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.
