Distinctive black-and-white-striped swallowtail with long tails and a red abdominal stripe; larvae are specialists on plants in the genus Asimina (pawpaws). Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the canonical and overwhelmingly primary host across the species's range; without pawpaw colonies the butterfly cannot reproduce. Adults nectar on a variety of native flowers (redbud, milkweed, blackberry blossom, dogbane). One of the most striking native butterflies in eastern North America and a textbook host-plant-specialist conservation case.

Plants in the catalog

Range