Common Mormon
Papilio polytes
The adult Common Mormon is a fast-flying swallowtail found in gardens, forest margins, parks, and cultivated areas where nectar flowers are available. It feeds on nectar with a coiled proboscis and visits host plants to lay eggs. Males are mostly black with pale markings, while females occur in several forms, some of which mimic distasteful red-bodied swallowtails. This female mimicry is a well-known example of protective resemblance in butterflies.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- Common Mormon Caterpillar
- Common Mormon Chrysalis
- Common Mormon