Scarce swallowtail

Iphiclides podalirius Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now overwintering 167 days

overwintering Insect here all year

The whole year

15 September – 19 March

the coastal calendar, unshifted

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Anywhere with blackthorn or an abandoned almond orchard; glides more than it flaps.

Worth knowing

Tied to Prunus — sloe, almond, wild plum — which makes it a good indicator of abandoned orchards recolonised by scrub. Where the terraces get cleared for new planting, this is the first butterfly to go.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Iphiclides podalirius

Regions

where this species is on the list

Dalmatian coastKvarner and IstriaVelebit and the DinaridesSlavonia and the Pannonian plainTukhlia, Ukrainian Carpathians

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above

Phase	When	Length	What it means
overwintering	15 September – 19 March	186 days	The species passes winter as an egg, larva or pupa; no adult is on the wing.
going about the year	20 March – 4 April	16 days	Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out.
on eggs	5 April – 24 April	20 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
larvae feeding	25 April – 9 June	46 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.
in the pupa	10 June – 30 June	21 days	Rebuilt inside a chrysalis or cocoon; the animal cannot move or feed.
adults on the wing	1 July – 14 September	76 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.

Other insects in this region

Buff-tailed bumblebeeCleopatra butterflyCommon glow-wormEuropean hornetEuropean mantisGreat cicadaGreat green bush-cricketHummingbird hawk-mothRose chaferSwallowtailTwo-tailed pashaViolet carpenter beeWestern honey bee

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