Black Swallowtail Butterfly

The beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly is one of the most commonly encountered garden butterflies. It mimics the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail to gain protection from predators. Papilio polyxenes, the black swallowtail, American swallowtail or parsnip swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. It is the state butterfly of Oklahoma, Michigan, and New Jersey.