It’s been about four years since I’ve seen spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) around here. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been around, but just that I hadn’t noticed them if they were.



There’s probably good reason for that - I’m about as good at distinguishing on the spot which species a largely black butterfly is as I am distinguishing most warblers, which is to say, not very. Black swallowtails, pipevine swallowtails, even our version of the white admiral/red-spotted purple will escape my ability to distinguish on the wing.

There’s a lot of variation in the color and patterning. You can get a good impression of the range at Bugguide. The overall surface color can range from brown to black, and the frosting can take on different patterns (compare the photo above with the first link above).

I doubt if there’s more variation in patterning and color with this species than with any other. It’s just that the relative simplicity of the colors and pattern make variations more noticeable.

Although it’s called “spicebush,” we don’t have any Lindera benzoin in the immediate area that I’m aware of. The odd-looking caterpillars are just as happy, though, with some plants that we do have: tulip poplar and sassafrass, for instance. Some have had the good luck to find a dislodged caterpillar - I haven’t yet. The caterpillars apparently feed at night and hide by the day, most likely up in the trees.

I noticed that the above bugguide info page has the cryptic note that an alternative scientific name is Pterourus troilus. A little investigation led to this list discussion which might sort of possibly explain it. Just for mentioning the name thing appears to render me a Type-A personality by those who claim labelling things peg me as such, despite all other evidence to the contrary.