black swallowtail
noun
: a usually dark-colored New World swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) having yellow spots on the wing margins and a black spot centered within a larger orange spot on the hind wing inner edge
Examples of black swallowtail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vasas and her colleagues also captured the brief startle display of a black swallowtail caterpillar and saw for the first time that its hornlike defense appendages are UV-reflective.
—
Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2024
Like the black swallowtail is a specialist on the carrot family.
—Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023
Other action includes black swallowtails harvesting nectar from horesherb and seeking out nesting sites on dill or parsley, which the caterpillars will eat very quickly.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Apr. 2023
Seems to be a black swallowtail.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 6 Aug. 2020
In July, the butterflies finally arrived: tiger swallowtail, monarch, black swallowtail, and cloudless sulphur.
—Lauren Matison, Outside Online, 12 Oct. 2022
There’s a pollinator bed, which is meant to attract mainly bees and wasps — but which also attracts black swallowtail caterpillars.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022
Golden Alexanders is a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly.
—Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2021
Certain pollinators like certain plants, such as black swallowtail butterflies that like dill.
—Lynn Coulter, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2021
Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2024
Like the black swallowtail is a specialist on the carrot family.
—Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023
Other action includes black swallowtails harvesting nectar from horesherb and seeking out nesting sites on dill or parsley, which the caterpillars will eat very quickly.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Apr. 2023
Seems to be a black swallowtail.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 6 Aug. 2020
In July, the butterflies finally arrived: tiger swallowtail, monarch, black swallowtail, and cloudless sulphur.
—Lauren Matison, Outside Online, 12 Oct. 2022
There’s a pollinator bed, which is meant to attract mainly bees and wasps — but which also attracts black swallowtail caterpillars.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022
Golden Alexanders is a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly.
—Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2021
Certain pollinators like certain plants, such as black swallowtail butterflies that like dill.
—Lynn Coulter, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black swallowtail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Black swallowtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20swallowtail. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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