Giant swallowtail
Papilio cresphontes
Butterfly
The largest butterfly in North America, with a wingspan reaching roughly 4 to 6 inches. Larvae are specialists on the citrus family (Rutaceae), feeding on native prickly ash (Zanthoxylum), common hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), and cultivated citrus such as lemon and orange - where the caterpillar is known to growers as the "orangedog." The larva mimics a fresh bird dropping for defense, and adults nectar on a range of flowers including goldenrod, swamp milkweed, and lantana.
Conservation
NatureServe rates the eastern giant swallowtail as Secure (G5); it is not IUCN-listed, not on the Xerces Society Red List, and not federally listed. Its northern range has expanded measurably over the past two decades, a shift attributed to warming and the loss of early-autumn frosts.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
Nectar plants · 1
Range
Common across the eastern and southern United States, reaching north to southern New England and southern Ontario/Quebec, with continued documented northward expansion; also present in Mexico, Cuba, and Jamaica. Western North American populations are now treated as a separate species, Papilio rumiko.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/giant-swallowtail
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
BAMONA: Giant swallowtail
Species profile for range, citrus-family larval hosts, adult nectar plants, and brood timing.
MDC Field Guide: Eastern giant swallowtail
State agency species account used for identification detail, larval and adult food, and life-cycle timing. Missouri-scoped, so it is not cited for continental range.
Wikipedia: Papilio cresphontes
Corroborating reference for Rutaceae host use, orangedog larvae, range expansion, and secure status.
GBIF: Papilio cresphontes
GBIF backbone key 1937846 is the accepted Papilionidae species Papilio cresphontes, an exact match.
iNaturalist: Heraclides cresphontes
iNaturalist taxon 85024 places the cited Papilio cresphontes in genus Heraclides as Heraclides cresphontes, the giant swallowtail.