Insect
Giant Swallowtail
Papilio cresphontesAlso known as Orange Dog, Orange Puppy
Eastern giant swallowtails dominate sunny fields and forest edges with sweeping flights powered by massive, dark brown wings diagonally banded in radiant yellow. Females deposit orange eggs singly on host plants in the rue family, where young caterpillars mimic wet bird droppings to evade songbirds. When threatened, the caterpillars extrude a foul-smelling, reddish organ called an osmeterium from behind their heads to repel predators.
DiurnalPollinatorLarge
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyFloral nectar, Citrus tree leaves, Prickly ash foliage
Predators
- Songbirds
- Paper wasps
- Praying mantises
ThreatsPesticide application in citrus orchards and severe habitat loss
HabitatsDeciduous forests, citrus groves, suburban gardens, and open fields
Life span1 to 2 months as adult; up to 1 year including pupal diapause
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilyPapilionidae
- GenusPapilio
- SpeciesPapilio cresphontes
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Plant Native Hosts: Cultivate prickly ash or hoptree to encourage females to lay eggs in your yard.
- Observe Larvae Gently: Approach caterpillars carefully on citrus foliage to examine their bird-dropping camouflage.
- Avoid Insecticides: Avoid spraying garden host plants with chemicals to safeguard developing caterpillars.
Frequent Companion "Eastern Tiger Swallowtail" by ShenandoahNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/. · cc0
Host Plant (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Close Relative Kojiro Shiraiwa, Qian Cong, Nick V. Grishin / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
Close Relative "black swallowtail caterpillar" by animantis is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
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