---
title: "Spicebush Swallowtail"
description: "Papilio troilus — Insects & spiders. Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/spicebush-swallowtail
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Spicebush Swallowtail

> Papilio troilus — Insects & spiders. Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America.

- Scientific name: *Papilio troilus*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest)
- iNaturalist observations: 67016
- Wikidata: [Q149664](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q149664)
- iNaturalist taxon: [58525](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/58525)

## Names

- en: Spicebush Swallowtail
- fr: Papillon carolinien

## Countries with the most observations

US (63182), CA (2057)

## Summary

Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America. It has two subspecies, Papilio troilus troilus and Papilio troilus ilioneus, the latter found mainly in the Florida peninsula. The spicebush swallowtail derives its name from its most common host plant, the spicebush, members of the genus Lindera.
The family to which spicebush swallowtails belong, Papilionidae, or swallowtails, include the largest butterflies in the world. The swallowtails are unique in that even while feeding, they continue to flutter their wings. Unlike other swallowtail…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_troilus

## Photo

![Spicebush Swallowtail](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/spicebush-swallowtail/medium.jpg)

Photo: Juan G. · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155751362

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/spicebush-swallowtail?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).