Giant Swallowtail

Scientific name: Papillo cresphontes
Higher classification: Swallowtail
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Family: Papillonidae
Order: Lepidoptera

One afternoon last summer, this large butterfly visited us just outside our kitchen window at our farm in Gobles. I cannot describe the delight of my 95 year old mother who was the first to spot it from her chair next to the window! Neither of us had seen this particular butterfly before so I immediately checked the internet. I wanted to share our excitement with all of KGC members.

The Giant swallowtail is the largest butterfly of North America with a wide distribution throughout the continent. Giant swallowtails have an average forewing span of 6 inches for males and a little larger for females. Adult butterflies sip nectar from many flowers and are spectacular visitors to butterfly gardens. Let’s hope we spot them in the KGC butterfly garden in the future.

submitted by Jeanette Meyer, President, KGC