The dorsal hind-wing is where the males and females are noticeably different. Males have smaller cream or pale spots than females, and the spots run along the fringe of the wings. Males are also a brighter metallic blue than their female counterparts, in the dorsal hind wing region. Reproduction Pipevine Swallowtail males spend most of their time looking to breed with females. Once a male has located a female, he will quickly land and attemp to mate.
Females lay clusters of eggs on or under leaves of pipevines and mostly exposed in the sun.
Once they have eaten enough, and matured enough, the larva will metamorphose into a pupa, or chrysalis. The caterpillars and later stages retain the toxins from the plant and use them to discourage predators. The species favors open woodlands, meadows, and anywhere else an abundance of pipevine grow, including backyard gardens and nurseries. Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona. Sonoran Arthropod Studies, Tucson, Arizona.