18 June 07
Pipevine Swallowtail
Late this afternoon we saw a pipevine swallowtail butterfly ( Battus philenor ) getting nectar from a evening primrose patch just outside our kitchen window. This species is an extreme specialist, breeding on just one species of plant here, the California pipevine ( Aristolochia californica ). I know of no pipevines in the immediate vicinity, so perhaps the butterfly flew over from Putah Creek?
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Wow that takes me back! Asia has hundreds of species of Aristolochia vines in the tropical regions. The many swallowtails that use them as food plants derive their names from them, papilio aristolochiae, all of them chararterized by a red abdomen in various patterns. Those of Japan are particularly petite and intricate, and those of the Celebes are completely exuberant. In Hong Kong, the papilio aristolochiae goniopeltis Rothschild (!) had disappeared for a few decades, until the early 80s I happened to catch one on a collecting trip with my Dad (our weekend hobby). I think I was 11. Anyway, it caused some excitement, and a write-up in the news of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Certainly, for an 11-year-old, those kinds of convoluted words hold real magic, I still get excited at the sound!
Nicole – The first I ever heard of pipevine swallowtails was when I was a zoology student at Duke, where they were a frequent research subject. So they are definitely around your neck of the woods!
Thanks! I’ll have to actually pay attention then, I’ve been remiss.