Blue Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Description
The upper surface of the hind wings are an iridescent blue or blue-green with pale, arrow-head markings. Males have brighter metallic regions than females. The underside of the hind wing has seven orange submarginal spots surrounded by iridescent blue. Both surfaces of the fore wings are black or dull blackish-brown. Individuals of the Northern California subspecies, Battus philenor hirsuta, are smaller and hairier. Pipevine Swallowtails can have a wingspan to up to three and a half inches. Battus philenor can usually be found in fields, meadows, gardens, parks, open woods, roadsides and stream sides.