Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon), will nectar on Verbena. However, it is not known to come to gardens and parks. If you reside in a rural area inside its range, you may be able to support this species by planting Verbena in your garden. This information is incorrect. Read on.

A similar Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, will come to gardens and when it does it feeds on Verbena. The two are quite similar - if you saw them flying about overhead it would be quite difficult to tell them apart. Anise Swallowtail is darker overall, having a higher ratio of black to yellow - but the two are comprised of the same two colors overall. The top edge of the upper wing of P. zelicaon is more continuously black and the lower hind wing has a row of several blue dots and an orange one as well.

The above clip was written mid-afternoon on July 23, 2016. Later that same afternoon, while reviewing a recent set of photographs taken in the garden, it became quite clear that this butterfly, the Anise Swallowtail, did in fact visited my garden in Menlo Park, CA on July 22. Yesterday, when I saw the butterfly in the garden, I assumed it was the exact same individual P. rutulus Swallowtail that had visited the garden just the day before, on July 21. Why? Because both had a bite taken out of the left rear hindwing. Let's face it, these swallowtails are difficult to distinguish even close up.

I usually record butterfly activity with a video camera, but find the clarity of video stills a bit compromised. Instead, I took a set of images with a decent SLR camera equipped with an auto-focus zoom lens and took shots in rapid succession. These critters do not sit still much so taking shots in rapid succession gave me a fighting chance to grab one decent, clear, image. If I had not JUST NOW studied the distinction between these two creatures, and done so with enough clarity to describe for you the distinction between them, then it might have taken, oh, forever?, to recognize the folly of the day's assumption. I am happy to report, that on occasion, Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) will nectar on plants in a suburban garden. On this day, when given a choice between Verbena and Fennel, it chose the Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare.

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There are 108 species of Verbena, or VERVAIN, a member of the Verbenaceae family. A few are in this database. The perennial Verbena rigida attracts birds, bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies and grows from seeds or cuttings. It is hardy in Zones 8-11, flowers in summer, grows to two feet tall, and is drought tolerant. Verbena stricta is a short-lived perennial that grows in Zones 4-7, to over three feet tall, blooms in summer, and tolerates dry conditions. Verbena bonarensis is a favorite to insects. It can grow to over 6 feet tall in Zones 7-10 and blooms from summer into fall.

Plant some Foeniculum vulgare too.