Caterpillar Identification Guide
Spicebush Swallowtail
Genus-Species: Papilio trailus
Host Plants: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras
trees (Sassafras albidum); perhaps prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), tulip tree (Liriodendron
tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), and redbay
(Persea borbonia).
Habitat: Woodlands, and open areas near woodlands.
Comments: The Spicebush Swallowtail is an uncommon
stray into Wisconsin. The main larval food plants of this species are Sassafras and Spicebush,
neither of which is native to Wisconsin.
Find instructions on how to design a butterfly-friendly habitat including a catalog of favorite flowers
guaranteed to attract butterflies.
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How does this magic happen? Learn about metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an
immature form to an adult bitterfly.