I. podalirius
         P. machaon
         P. aegeria
         M. didyma
         M. cinxia
         K. roxelana
         P. rapae
         S. pyri
         M. stellatarum

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Common Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) :: 2002/08/12 :: Volos :: © A.Papadopoulos Common Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) :: 2002/08/12 :: Volos :: © A.Papadopoulos Common Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Mature Larva :: 2002/07/07 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image!

Common Swallowtail

Papilio machaon

With a wingspan between 65 and 75 mm (2 1/2 - 3 in), the Swallowtail is one of the largest, most beautiful butterflies that abound the Pelion area and Greece, in general. The forewings are yellow with black markings, while blue crescents and red spots adorn the hind-wings. Sexes are very similar.

Common Swallowtails prefer flowery meadows, up to 2,000 m (6,500 ft), and are constantly on the move, never staying in one place for long. In fact, a sitting Swallowtail is a rare sight, indeed.

Two broods are usual, flying between May - September, but in southern, warmer areas, such as Greece, there are more broods and the flight period is longer.

Its distribution includes most of Europe, except the far north. In Britain (ssp. britannicus), it can only be found in Norfolk Broads, where it is rare and protected. The British race can only survive in moist habitats, for the male genitalia are very sensitive to humidity and become very hard and unable to function in drier climates (Chinery, 1986).

Newly hatched  larvae are black and white, resembling bird-droppings, and change color as they grow. The mature larva is green, striped and marked with black and orange. It possesses a defensive aromatic organ that is projected when the larva is disturbed. This organ is scientifically known as the osmeterium, from the Greek word osme meaning scent.

By the way, the species name, machaon, is derived from Machaon, the highly esteemed son of  Asclepius, who, along with his brother Podalirius, accompanied the Greek invading force to Troy, as a surgeon and medic. Machaon was wounded and put out of action by  Paris. He was later killed, during the tenth year of the war, by  Eurypylys. He was buried in  Messenia, where he was worshiped by the people.

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Fact Sheet

Larva Food Plants
Fennel, carrot, parsley, and related plants.

Flight Period
April - September.

Habitat
Flowery meadows up to 2,000 m. Moist habitats in Norfolk.

Distribution
Throughout most of Europe, except the far north; only Norfolk Broads in the U.K. In North America, it occurs south from Alaska to northern British Colombia, east across Canada to western Quebec. It also occurs in southern British Colombia, south through New Mexico.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Neoptera; Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Papilionidae ; Genus: Papilio; Species: machaon

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