Black Swallowtail
Anise – Pimpinella anisum
Caraway – Carum carvi
Celery – Apium graveolens
Cow Parsnip – Heracleum maximum
*Dill – Anethum graveolens
Dutchman’s Breeches – Thamnosma texanum
*Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare
Forked Scaleseed – Spermolepis divaricata
Golden Alexander – Zizia aurea
Mock Bishopweed – Ptilimnium capillaceum
Northern Water Hemlock – Cicuta virosa (Extremely poisonous deadly plant)
*Parsley – Petroselinum crispum
Parsnip – Pastinaca sativa
Poison hemlock – Conium maculatum
*Queen Anne’s lace – Daucus carota
Roughfruit Scaleseed – Spermolepis divaricata
*Rue – Ruta graveolens
Slender Celery – Cyclospermum leptophyllum
Yarrow – Achillea millefolium
Water Cowbane – Oxypolis filiformis
*Water Hemlock – Cicuta maculata (Extremely poisonous deadly plant)
Water Parsnip – Berula erecta
Wedgeleaf Eryngo – Eryngium cuneifolium
*Wild Carrot – Daucus carota
Wild Chervil – Cryptotaenia canadensis,
We have personally used the plants with an * by the name. The other listed host plants are gathered from experiences of others. We do not guarantee that caterpillars will eat plants we have not listed.
Black Swallowtails do not always change host plants. Host plants within the same group (parsley, dill, fennel) usually do not cause problems. Changing to rue from another plant is often difficult to impossible. Changing from other plants to highly toxic water hemlock is sometimes fatal for caterpillars. If they begin eating the leaves of water hemlock when they are young, they do well on water hemlock.
Information was gathered by personal experience, the Association for Butterflies, Rick Mikula (The Butterfly Guy), various books, and the internet.
Butterfly Fun Facts 