place to undergo metamorphosis. The plant contains a toxin which when ingested by the caterpillars makes them unpalatable to predators. Due to their unpalatability from the sequestered aristolochic acids from Aristolochiaceae spp., there are several known species of butterflies that use Battus philenor, as an overall species, as a model for Batesian mimicry, including Papilio troilus L., the darker female morph of Papilio glaucus L., and Papilio polyxenes. However, there are no known species that mimic Battus philenor hirsuta specifically in the Northern California region. The female butterflies tend to lay their eggs as clutches on an individual plant, preferring to lay only one clutch per plant to ensure that the induced defenses of A. californica do not negatively affect a second clutch of offspring and so that they do not compete with one another. Having one clutch that feeds on the same plant at the same time allows for a larger number of larvae to feed on the plant while the defenses are lower. It has been found that these clutches of caterpillars take part in aggregative feeding as to manipulate the type and/or size of the plant's induced defense in response to herbivory. See also List of California native plants Pipevine swallowtail butterflies — nectar sources References External links Calflora Database: Aristolochia californica (California pipevine, California Dutchman's pipe) Jepson eFlora treatment of Aristolochia californica UC CalPhotos gallery of California Dutchman's pipevine californica Endemic flora of California Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Vines Butterfly food plants Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants