Wingspan: 55–70 mm
Flight period of the butterflies: usually in two generations, occasionally in three; the first from April to June, the second from July to October
Food plants of the caterpillars: species from the Apiaceae family, for example species from the genera Laserpitium (Laserpitium), Peucedanum (Peucedanum), Seseli (Seseli), and caterpillars can also be found on carrot (Daucus carota) or parsley (Petroselinum crispum) or on the common rue (Dictamnus albus) from the Rutaceae family
The swallowtail (Papilio machaon) is one of the largest butterflies living in Slovenia. Its body and wings are yellow with the distinctive pattern of black spots and stripes. Along the outer edge of the hind wings there are dark blue spots, and at the very end of the hind wings there is also an orange circular spot. This, together with the tails, wing extensions, forms false eyes that confuse or scare predators. Females are paler yellow and larger than males. The caterpillar is green to almost white with transverse black bands, which are interrupted by orange spots. With its warning colors it warns predators of its unpleasant taste.
The swallowtail is an excellent flyer with a wide distribution, but it is not found in large numbers anywhere. You can often observe a few males fluttering right at the tops of some hill, even mountains. On such exposed places they watch for females. When it comes to its habitat, it is not very particular about its habitat, as it occurs in both moist and dry areas, but of course it requires lush growth of host plants and richly flowering meadows, where such a large butterfly can obtain enough nectar to sustain itself.
