Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

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Spicebush swallowtail

Papilio troilus

Butterfly

Black swallowtail with iridescent blue or blue-green hindwings; larvae are specialists on plants in the laurel family (Lauraceae), primarily spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum). The caterpillar mimics a small snake when threatened — folding the front of its body and displaying large false eyespots — which is one of the most striking caterpillar defenses in eastern North American forests.

Plants in the catalog

Larval host plants · 2

Northern spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Specialist

NC State Plant Toolbox documents spicebush as the primary larval host for Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail), supporting two generations per year from April through October. The caterpillar's snake-mimicking defense (folding to display large false eyespots) is one of the most striking caterpillar adaptations in eastern forests.

Sassafras

Sassafras albidum

Specialist

NC State documents sassafras as a larval host for the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus, Lauraceae specialist); spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is the canonical primary host and sassafras is the secondary host. Both Lauraceae species together are the realistic conservation strategy for spicebush swallowtail populations.

Nectar plants · 1

Tulip tree (yellow poplar)

Liriodendron tulipifera

Documented

NC State notes spicebush swallowtails forage on tulip tree blooms; the bloom timing fits the second brood of this species.

Range

Eastern North America from southern Ontario to Florida; wherever its Lauraceae hosts grow.

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