Black and white Helen
The black and white Helen is a big black swallowtail butterfly. It has a row of white spots on its front wings and a large white patch on its back wings, which have wavy edges and long tails. In some places the patch is yellow instead of white.
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Fun facts
Its wings measure about 10 to 12 centimetres across, as wide as a grown-up's hand.
The top and the underside of its wings look almost the same.
It looks very much like its cousin, the red Helen, so you have to look closely to tell them apart.
Its body, head and feelers are black.
Most asked questions about Black and white Helen
?How big is the black and white Helen?
Its wings measure about 10 to 12 centimetres from tip to tip.
?What does its caterpillar eat?
Leaves of citrus trees and related plants.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Papilio chaon
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Papilionidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Papilionidae
- Lives on
- Asia
- Also known as
- Yellow Helen
Where the facts come from
- Papilio nephelus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by J.M.Garg. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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