Old World swallowtail
Papilio machaon
Butterfly
Large yellow-and-black swallowtail of the Holarctic region. Caterpillars feed chiefly on carrot-family plants (Apiaceae) and also use rue in parts of its range, making it the honest Old World counterpart for Mediterranean herb gardens where rue and fennel are grown as ornamental or herbaceous host plants.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
Old World swallowtail caterpillars use rue in parts of the species range; this is the precise swallowtail host link behind the rue foliage note.
Nectar plants · 1
Butterflies including the swallowtail nectar at open, daisy-type composites like this in sunny European meadows and gardens; graded plausible generalist nectar foraging, with the host plants for the swallowtail being umbellifers rather than this plant.
Range
Widespread across Europe, North Africa, temperate Asia, and parts of northwestern North America, with local subspecies and habitat preferences varying by region.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Old World swallowtail (Papilio machaon). Retrieved 2026, June 27, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/papilio-machaon
Sources for wildlife facts
8 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
UK Butterflies: Swallowtail
Species account used for identification, flight-season context, and larval-host ecology.
Backs 5 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Host plants
Foraging
Wikipedia: Papilio machaon
Corroborating reference for the Holarctic range and Apiaceae/rue host-plant context.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Host plants