plant is the Virginia snakeroot, (Aristolochia serpentaria), which can be found in the Eastern United States and in Florida. It has broad-leaved and narrow-leaved forms, and both act as hosts for swallowtail larvae. Other host plants include Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla), Woolly Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa), Texas Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia reticulate), Watson's Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia watsonii), and California Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia californica). Some Aristolochia species are actually toxic or extremely distasteful to larvae and thus may act as death traps for the butterflies. This is especially true of exotic variants. Adults Pipevine swallowtail adults use nectar-producing plants as hosts; there are many plants that fit this criterion. These butterflies frequent thistle (Cirsium) flowers, the pink and purple flowers of the Phlox species, and ironweed of Vernonia species. Life cycle Eggs The eggs of the pipevine swallowtail vary in color from red to orange. They are small and are laid on host plant stems. A distinctive feature of these eggs which is shared by all Aristolochia butterflies is that the outer layer of the egg is covered by a firm and nourishing excretion laid in vertical stripes along the outside. The egg appears bumpy due to the excretion forming large beads along the bands. The female pipevine swallowtail deposits this excretion from a gland above the ovipositor during the egg laying process. These butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of host plants in clusters with access to sunlight. The larvae hatch after a few weeks and immediately eat the remnants of the egg from which they emerged. Larvae Pipevine swallowtail larvae are around 5 cm in length and vary in color from dark brown to black. In areas of higher temperature such as Texas and Arizona, a red coloring dominates. Larvae have bright orange spots on the ends of tubercles in rows along their body, and at either end of the body the tubercles are elongated into filaments. Full grown larvae have a glossy or velvet appearance due to many fine hairs. Larvae sex determination can be done by looking at pits along the ventral surface at the ends of the abdominal sections. Larvae spend almost all their time eating the leaves of their host plants. Once they completely remove edible matter from one plant they move to the next one. They eat in groups at first but as food sources deplete they become more solitary as they move on in