Spicebush Swallowtail At Scarlet Beebalm

August 13, 2026

A Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) gathering nectar from a Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma).

This butterfly is native to eastern North America, including the eastern United States, southern New England, also southern Canada, south to Florida, and west to the Great Plains, eastern Texas and Oklahoma.

Its host plants are for the most part members of the laurel and magnolia families. Their favorites are Common Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Both quite common here in central Virginia.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Spicebush Swallowtail At Scarlet Beebalm”

  1. Beautiful! Thank you for the description of the details.
    Julie Winslow shared your blog with me. I’m enjoying your photos already.
    Thank you!
    LaVonne Fitts

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