Bug FAQIndra Swallowtail
Papilio indra · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Papilionidae
Also called: Cliff Swallowtail, Short-Tailed Black Swallowtail
It lives in many western North American regions, from southern British Columbia through the western US and into northern Mexico, including the Rockies. Adults feed on plants such as parsley and wild carrot, and they have one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The butterfly is mainly black with minimal blue and whitish markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It can be found from sea level up to several thousand feet, in places ranging from city outskirts to remote forests, deserts, prairies, and mountains.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on parsley, wild carrot, and other members of the Apiaceae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces one brood each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks similar to the black swallowtail and the short-tailed swallowtail.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do adult Indra swallowtails eat?
They feed on parsley, wild carrot, and other Apiaceae species.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does the Indra swallowtail have each year?
There is one brood per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Indra swallowtails?
They occur from sea level to high elevations in many habitats, including near cities, forests, deserts, prairies, and mountains across the western US and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
What other butterflies look like the Indra swallowtail?
It resembles the black swallowtail and the short-tailed swallowtail.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Papilionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_indra
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.