Battus philenor
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pipevine Swallowtail sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pipevine Swallowtail in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Pipevine Swallowtail sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 70%), Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, about 30%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Pipevine Swallowtail that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (about 50%), Spicebush Swallowtail (about 40%) and Zebra 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 Shenandoah National Park (53 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.
