Bug Wiki
Sticker of Clodius parnassian
Bug card No. 0925 of 4,939

Clodius parnassian

Parnassius clodius
Eats: Nectar and pollenButterfliesGardens and meadows6 legs

The clodius parnassian is a white butterfly with grey and black markings, and often small red spots on its back wings. It lives in western North America, from the coast up into the mountains. It belongs to the swallowtail family.

Lives in
Western North America, from British Columbia to California, in meadows and mountains
Top speed
about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting people, so you can watch it up close.
What does it eat?
The butterflies visit flowers in meadows. The caterpillars of some kinds eat bleeding-heart plants.
For real!Photo of Clodius parnassian
Picture by Robert Nash Curator of Entomology, Ulster Museum. CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It can live anywhere from sea level up to about 2,100 metres high.

2

It has many subspecies that look a bit different, so it can be hard to tell them apart.

3

One subspecies in Wyoming has yellowish spots instead of red ones.

4

One subspecies from the Santa Cruz mountains in California has died out, because roads and summer houses were built where it lived.

you asked

Most asked questions about Clodius parnassian

?Where does the clodius parnassian live?

In western North America, from British Columbia down to California.

?What does the clodius parnassian caterpillar eat?

Some kinds eat bleeding-heart plants, such as Pacific bleeding-heart and steer's head.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Parnassius clodius
Group
Butterflies
Family
Papilionidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Papilionidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Parnassius clodius (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Robert Nash Curator of Entomology, Ulster Museum. CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Butterflies

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Honey jarfor grown-ups