The black swallowtail is one of the most common swallowtail butterflies. It is found throughout southern Canada, most of the eastern and mid-western United States west to the Rocky Mountains, and southwest into Arizona and northern Mexico. It is commonly found in open areas such as wet prairies, fields, flat woods, pine savannas, roadsides, weedy areas, and gardens. They primarily will feed on herbs in the carrot family. This includes, and is not exclusive to poison hemlock, Queen Anne’s lace, wild parsnip, spotted water hemlock, mock bishopweed, caraway, celery, dill, parsley, and sweet fennel. (I know all too well that the caterpillars of this butterfly will consume dill, as I had a swarm of caterpillars eat through half of the dill in my garden last year. These voracious eaters would take down a three-foot-tall plant in its entirety in only a few short days!)