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Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Scientific Name: Papilio polyxenes

Family: Papilionidae

Native Range:

Size: Medium, 10 – 15 mm (0.4 – 0.6 in)*

Nest: Social, colony*

Nesting Location: Human-made hives, tree cavities, tree limbs or branches*

Nest Materials: Hexagonal cells of wax*

Active: Early spring – late fall*

Color and Appearance: Black with golden hairs*

Pollen Collection: Pollen baskets on hind legs (coriculae)*

Flight Distance: ~ 2 miles, 3.2 km*

*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.

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