Eastern giant swallowtail

Eastern giant swallowtail is a large swallowtail butterfly. It is the largest butterfly in North America north of Mexico.

Adults have a wingspan of 4″ to 6¼″.

The upper side of the wings are dark brown, almost black. There are two bands of bright yellow spots, a subapical band and a basal band. The two bands cross near the tips of the forewings, forming an irregular “X” shape. The is an orange spot and blue scale on the inner margin. The hind wings have “tails” with a large, yellow spot.

The underside of the forewing is dark brown with two bands of pale yellow spots large enough to make the wing appear mostly pale yellow. The underside of the hind wing is mostly pale yellow with a median band of orange spots and blue scales.

The body is pale yellow.

The caterpillar is shiny dark brown with three white spots, mimicking a fresh bird dropping.

Wingspan: 4″ to 6¼″

Open woodlands, fields, hillsides near streams.

Two broods: early May, and late June through August.

Females lay single eggs on the leaves of host plants.

It overwinters as a chrysalis.

In Minnesota, common hoptree and northern prickly ash.

Flower nectar.

Sources

7, 21, 24, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 6/28/2025).

A recent study (Vermont Center for Ecostudies and colleagues, 2021) shows an unusually rapid northward expansion of the range of the eastern giant swallowtail.

Over the course of 18 years, the range of the Eastern Giant Swallowtail moved just over 200 miles north—a rate of expansion more than 27 times faster than the average organism.

Further expansion of the range is considered unlikely, being limited by the range of the butterfly’s northernmost host plant, northern prickly ash.

The name Heraclides was treated as a synonym of Papilio in 1983. It was treated as a valid genus from 2019 to 2023. Later in 2023 Heraclides was recognized as a subgenus of Papilio.

As of this writing, (June 2025), most sources classify eastern giant swallowtail as Papilio cresphontes and list Heraclides cresphontes as a synonym. These include ITIS, Catalog of Life, NCBI, GBIF, Butterflies and Moths of North America, Discover Life, and BugGuide.net.

Butterflies of America, Moth Photographers Group, NatureServe, and iNaturalist classify eastern giant swallowtail as Heraclides cresphontes.

Papilio cresphontes eastern giant swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes, eastern giant swallowtail, Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Photos were taken on July 31, 2022. There were several of these beauties on purple coneflowers and other prairie flowers. The best time of year for me to see them is the last two weeks in July and the first week in August.

We spotted subject on our backyard in Oak Park Heights this past Tuesday, June 6th. Didn’t stick around for long but we did manage to get a couple of photos.

Papilio Cresphontes~Giant Swallowtail Larva! 8/19/2021

Hello. We live in Forest Lake, MN. We have a 32-year-old orange tree we have grown from a seed. It lives on our back deck during the summer, and in our heated garage in the winter and we keep it carefully pruned into a 9-foot-tall globe. When watering it this evening, I noticed this larva on one of the leaves. My husband identified it as a Giant Swallowtail Larva. If we are reading correctly, this should winter over and hatch next spring? We have cut off the branch and put it in water in a large mesh bug hut so we can protect it from any predators. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. Thanks.

Hatch of Giant Swallowtail overwintered with us-6/4/2022

Hello. Posting to let you know the Giant Swallowtail we found as a larvae on our orange tree pupated the end of the summer. (See post on your site from us dated 8-19-2021) We kept it in a mesh container over the winter, misting it every 4-5 days and in our barely heated garage.

It hatched today, 6-4-2022--a very healthy, medium sized female. We let it gather strength and then released it. It took off and flew east-towards the St. Croix River.

We live in Forest Lake, MN. What a miracle to behold!

Giant Swallowtail sighting - 08/04/2021

We had this beauty show up on our townhouse patio this morning. S/he stayed around for about 40 minutes. Wings fluttered much like a hummingbird.

We have several planters and s/he went for the red and bright pink flowers.

The very best nature gift of retirement so far!

Enjoying the Phlox

Butterly and details.

Giant Swallowtail
DianesDigitals

Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)
Allen Chartier

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Giant Swallowtail
jt893x

eastern giant swallowtail 04
Aug 17, 2025

eastern giant swallowtail 03
Aug 27, 2022

giant swallowtail 02
8/9/2020

giant swallowtail 01
Published on Aug 14, 2018

Schmetterling Papilio cresphontes
Chrigu wälti

The Osmeterium of the Swallowtail Butterfly Larva(Papilio cresphontes)
texrednface

Almost tame Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
Manfred Keller

Papilio cresphontes
felipe JDM

GIANT Swallowtail Butterfly mineral siphoning and butterfly pee slow motion HD 1080p
GREENPOWERSCIENCE

Alison Trout
8/16/2025

Location: Milaca, Minnesota

Location: Chaska, MN

Spotted while walking the trails near my house. I've never seen one in Minnesota before.

Location: Washington County

Location: Olmsted County, MN

Location: Fort Ripley

First time seeing this species

Location: Dayton, MN

spotted this today near Diamond Lake in Dayton MN. I'm 56 years old & live here all my life & have never seen this type of Swallowtail before.

Location: Apple Valley, MN

Sipping nectar from phlox, rapid wingbeats.

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Papilio cresphontes, eastern giant swallowtail, Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Photos were taken on July 31, 2022. There were several of these beauties on purple coneflowers and other prairie flowers. The best time of year for me to see them is the last two weeks in July and the first week in August.

Kim
7/30/2022

Location: Nowthen, MN

Location: Oak Park Heights, MN

We spotted subject on our backyard in Oak Park Heights this past Tuesday, June 6th. Didn’t stick around for long but we did manage to get a couple of photos.

Location: Forest Lake, MN

Hello. Posting to let you know the Giant Swallowtail we found as a larvae on our orange tree pupated the end of the summer. (See post on your site from us dated 8-19-2021) We kept it in a mesh container over the winter, misting it every 4-5 days and in our barely heated garage.

It hatched today, 6-4-2022--a very healthy, medium sized female. We let it gather strength and then released it. It took off and flew east-towards the St. Croix River.

We live in Forest Lake, MN. What a miracle to behold!

Location: Forest Lake, MN

Hello. We live in Forest Lake, MN. We have a 32-year-old orange tree we have grown from a seed. It lives on our back deck during the summer, and in our heated garage in the winter and we keep it carefully pruned into a 9-foot-tall globe. When watering it this evening, I noticed this larva on one of the leaves. My husband identified it as a Giant Swallowtail Larva. If we are reading correctly, this should winter over and hatch next spring? We have cut off the branch and put it in water in a large mesh bug hut so we can protect it from any predators. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. Thanks.

Location: Sighted in Otsego Township, Wright County (about 4 miles south of Elk River)

We had this beauty show up on our townhouse patio this morning. S/he stayed around for about 40 minutes. Wings fluttered much like a hummingbird.

We have several planters and s/he went for the red and bright pink flowers.

The very best nature gift of retirement so far!

Location: Winona County, 5 miles southwest of Mississippi River

Visiting flowering burdock plants near woodland edge at base of bluff, about 1/2 mile from creek

Location: Wild River State Park, along river trail

So big that at first I thought I was seeing two butterflies flying together

Location: Mound, MN

Enjoying the Phlox

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

Location: Ramsey, MN

Location: SW of Annandale, MN

The first time I have seen this lovely butterfly. It flitted throughout my garden for quite a while visiting mostly phlox and hydrangeas.

Location: Independence, MN

First ever sighting in my yard.  On Meadow Blazing Star after it took over from Monarch.  Monarch flying around waiting for it to leave.

Location: Ham Lake, MN

we always have yellow swallowtails but I ve never seen one like this before. 

Location: Minnetrista, MN

I have lots of butterflies in my garden that I can identify or have seen before, but this was a first for me.  They are so big!  He was enjoying the phlox and balloon flowers in my garden this afternoon.

Location: Olmsted

A surprise in my zinnia garden

Location: Maple Grove, MN

Location: Southwest Minneapolis

Flying into a stiff southern breeze, heading toward the phlox along the driveway.

Location: Saint Paul

I did not see the butterfly, but I had 7 eggs, and now 7 little caterpillars on my rue plant. First time ever!

Location: Kasson, Dodge County

In the phlox garden

Location: 6 miles south of Prior Lake in Scott County

This lovely butterfly floated around our front yard, and stopped long enough in the sunshine for me to take a photo (admittedly, a phone shot), then floated away again

Location: Wyoming, MN

Feeding on coral colored phlox

Location: White Bear Lake. Ramsey County, MN

Location: near Miesville MN

Observed three giant swallowtails at one time in garden at Pioneer Village!

Location: Bloomington, MN

I took photos for several minutes of this swallowtail on my purple coneflowers. At one point, it sat beside a monarch on the same flower.

Location: Lake Elmo

Amazing color. HUGE compared to the other moths and butterflies in the garden.

Location: Brooklyn Park, Mn

What a sight to see! My first encounter...loved those moments...Wow!

Kathryn Rudd
On my birthday! August 28

Location: Eagan, Mn

Stayed a long time feeding from my lantana

Location: Saint Charles, MN

Beautiful! Large dusty brown/black with soft yellow markings seen in my flower beds on geranium and petunia blooms

Location: Albertville. MN, south side of Cedar Creek Golf Course

Fantastic! Amazing sunny day. It was eating nectar from my hanging baskets of petunias.

Location: Stillwater, MN

Location: South Minneapolis near 40th and 40th

11:30 AM

Location: Savage, MN

Seen in our wooded backyard in Savage around noon on 8/4/14.