Old World swallowtail
Papilio machaon
Habitat
The Old World swallowtail occurs from Western Europe to Asia. This butterfly species also lives in North America and from Northern Scandinavia to North Africa. The habitat of the Old World swallowtail consists of sufficient host and nectar plants for the large nectar requirement and of striking places for ‘hill topping’. In the Netherlands, the Old World swallowtail is a fairly rare resident butterfly. This butterfly species can mainly be spotted in the south of the Netherlands. The Old World swallowtail flies out in 2 generations. The first generation can be seen from the end of April to the beginning of June. The second generation flies from mid-July to the end of August. When temperatures are high, a partial third generation can sometimes fly out.
Appearance
Life cycle
The Old World swallowtail remains in the egg for 5 to 8 days. When the Old World swallowtail hatches, this butterfly species is still a caterpillar for 22 to 36 days. The caterpillar then pupates. The pupation of the first generation lasts 13 to 18 days. The pupation of the second generation lasts 200 to 320 days. After this, the Old World swallowtail lives for 14 to 22 days as a butterfly.
Hill topping
Males mainly engage in ‘hill topping’. The males gather at a conspicuous point, such as a hilltop, tall tree or tower. During ‘hill topping’, the males are not foraging, but are defending their territory. They chase away male intruders, but are looking for a female to mate with. As soon as a male and a female have found each other, they will land in the vegetation to mate. This mating lasts for a maximum of 2 hours.
Host plants and nectar plants
Host plants are special plants on which butterflies, such as the Old World swallowtail, lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars eat those plants. This is how the caterpillars grow until they are big and strong enough to change into butterflies. This is why host plants are essential for the survival of butterfly species, because without host plants there are no caterpillars and therefore ultimately no butterflies.
Each butterfly species has its own favourite plants. The Old World swallowtail prefers Wild carrot (Daucus carota), Greater burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella major), Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga), Angelica (Angelica), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Milk-parsley (Peucedanum palustre), Meum (Meum athamanticum), Rue (Ruta graveolens), Dill (Anethum graveolens), Carum (Carum), Lovage (Levisticum) and Meadow-rue (Thalictrum).
Most butterfly species, such as the Old World swallowtail, need nectar to survive. Butterflies get nectar from nectar plants. Nectar is a viscous fluid that comes from flowers. This fluid contains a lot of sugar, small amounts of proteins and vitamins. Nectar provides the energy that the Old World swallowtail needs to be able to fly.
The nectar plants for the Old World swallowtail consist of Clovers (Trifolium), Umbelliferae (Apiaceae), Buddleja (Buddleja), Eupatorium (Eupatorium), Lavender (Lavandula), Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis), Plumeless thistles (Carduus), Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) and Phlox (Phlox).
You can help the Old World swallowtail butterfly by planting a number of these plant species in your garden. When you combine both host plants and nectar plants, you will support both the caterpillar and the butterfly.
Caution with some plant species
The leaves of the Angelica (Angelica) are used to make herbal tea. However, it is a slightly poisonous plant if taken in large quantities. This plant is not recommended for people with diabetes and pregnant women.
The root of the Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is edible, but the sap is poisonous. The shoots and leaves should be touched with care. Direct contact with the skin can cause a chemical burn, causing the skin to turn red, burn and blister.
Eupatorium (Eupatorium) is used in natural medicine. This plant has a medicinal effect on the liver, urinary tract, kidneys, bones, joints and digestive system. This plant is poisonous if taken in large quantities of whole plants.
