About ten years ago, my husband and I wandered into a large tent at the Tulsa State Fair. Inside, a local butterfly club had filled it with live butterflies, and as we looked around, we started talking about the large black and shimmery blue butterflies that visit our garden every summer. “Those are probably the pipevine swallowtail,” a volunteer told us. He mentioned that they could be found near our neighborhood along the Arkansas River, particularly near Bentley Park, and that we could find their caterpillars on the wooly Dutchman’s pipevine growing there.
Curious, we made our way to the river a week or so later. We crouched along the bank, snapping photos of the black pipevine swallowtail caterpillars covered in orange spikes. Since then, we’ve gone back every late summer to see them again.
One of my gardening passions is growing host plants for local butterflies, and I really wanted to bring these pipevine caterpillars into my own garden. I wanted to feed them, photograph them, and add them to my growing list of backyard visitors.
What Makes a Pipevine Swallowtail Special
The pipevine swallowtail is smaller than the giant eastern tiger swallowtails that patrol the garden, but it’s no less sstunning. The males are midnight black with a blue-green metallic sheen on their hind wings and pale spots that catch the light. Females look similar but are a little duller, with more distinct pale spots.
If you flip one over, you’ll spot a row of orange spots across the turquoise blue underside—an obvious warning to hungry birds: “I taste bad, so leave me alone.” The adult rarely stops fluttering its wings while sipping nectar, which makes them quite tricky to capture in a photo.
Picking the Right Host Plant
Pipevine swallowtails have just a few plants that will support their larvae. Native pipevines are the key, and in my area, that means woolly pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa), big-leaf pipevine (A. macrophylla), and Virginia snakeroot (A. serpentaria). Females lay their eggs on the leaves of these plants.
If you see Brazilian Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia gigantea) in garden centers, don’t be tempted to plant that one. This tropical vine with huge burgundy flowers may look appealing, but I learned here that its leaves are so toxic that pipevine swallowtail caterpillars can die within three days of eating them. Stick with the native varieties instead.
Toxic Plant Equals Safe Caterpillars
Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars store aristolochic acids from their host plant, making them distasteful to predators like birds and lizards. I’m not so sure about spiders, though—I’ve spotted a small green lynx spider lurking on a pipevine leaf in my garden. I’ll keep an eye on that.
These toxins remain in the chrysalis and the adult butterfly, and even the eggs hold a dose of protection. Because of this, other butterflies have evolved to mimic the pipevine swallowtail’s dark wings and orange spots, which helps keep predators guessing.
Grow Wooly Dutchman’s Pipevine
Woolly Dutchman’s pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa) is a deciduous vine native to the central and southern U.S., including my area in Tulsa County, Oklahoma. In the wild, it climbs through trees along stream banks. In the garden, it thrives on a trellis or arbor, reaching 20 to 30 feet tall. Its heart-shaped leaves are fuzzy, and the small yellow-green flowers with purple throats hide under the leaves.
The flowers smell like something decaying—an aroma that attracts flies, which pollinate them. Later, the plant produces a pod full of seeds. Just be cautious—every part of the plant is toxic if eaten, so keep pets and children away from it. The caterpillars can defoliate the vine, but it will grow back. Wooly pipevine thrives in moist, loamy soil and partial sun but doesn’t tolerate drought well. The dense foliage makes for a great privacy screen, too.
Starting Your Own Woolly Pipevine from Seed
After years of dreaming about having a trellis covered in pipevine leaves filled with spiky caterpillars, I finally found some seeds from Joyful Butterfly. I’d tried taking cuttings from the wild vines along the river, but I’m not great at propagating by cutting, so I decided to start my vine from seed.
I tried starting these seeds two different ways. For indoor seed starting, I nicked the seeds with a file and soaked them in water for 24 hours. Some people cold-stratify seeds in the fridge for for up to three months.
Stratification and scarification are techniques I use to help native plants germinate by mimicking nature’s rhythms. This cold period tells the seeds that winter is over.
I started them indoors during the winter months. When they sprouted, I transplanted them into pots to give the roots more space. Only two or three sprouted this way. And one of the sprouts died.
Once the soil warmed, I planted the survivors at the base of a trellis. You can also root cuttings or divide established vines, but growing from seed gives you that extra sense of accomplishment.
The second way I attempted germination was by winter sowing outdoors in pots. They were left outside in all of the elements to let Mother Nature take care of the process. Only one or two of those sprouted and I planted them out as well.
Just keep in mind that the first year, the vine will focus on root growth; the second year, it’ll take off. On those young vines, I’ve already spotted two pipevine caterpillars!
Feeding Adult Pipevine Swallowtails
While you’re feeding the caterpillars, don’t forget about the adults. Pipevine swallowtail butterflies sip nectar from flowers. They love pink and purple and orange blooms. In my garden, they’re especially fond of zinnias and Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). In fact, I call tithonia “butterfly crack.” If you ever want to have more butterflies, try adding that flower and just see what happens.
Plant a few of these flowers near your pipevine so the adults can refuel without leaving your yard. Leave a few sturdy stems or sticks nearby; wandering caterpillars often pupate on nearby objects.
My Pipevine Swallowtail Success Story
I didn’t expect to get caterpillars this year. It usually takes a couple of seasons for butterflies to find new host plants. But we’ve had so many pipevine swallowtail butterflies visiting the garden for the flowers that I wasn’t surprised when they found the pipevine plants.
I never saw the eggs, but one day, I checked the leaves and discovered two caterpillars! Over the past week, they’ve grown into fat black larvae with orange spikes: the cutest little spiky caterpillars you’ve ever seen.
I’m worried they might eat every leaf and run out of food, so I may need to make a trip to the river to gather more leaves for them. Next year, the vine should take off, and I hope we’ll have many more caterpillars. But for now, I’m calling this a huge success after years of wanting to host this particular caterpillar in my garden.
Keep Exploring
If hosting butterflies makes you smile, check out my article on spicebush swallowtails to learn how to host another dark swallowtail and compare its mimicry.
I’ve also shared here about how I started native passion flower vine from seed for the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. And be sure to check out my post on common backyard caterpillars for more host plant ideas. Not all host plants are native plants. I share how some of my favorite backyard herbs feed caterpillars too.
Planting native vines, shrubs, and flowers invites beauty, movement, and color into your garden. Grow woolly pipevine, and you might find yourself strolling through your garden one day, watching pipevine swallowtail caterpillars munching away on your vines.
Keep the conversation going and see more behind-the-scenes glimpses of my garden and the stories behind my photos over on my Substack. By subscribing below, you’ll get updates on new blog articles and more personal stories about life in the garden.
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