The Anise Swallowtail can be in our gardens much of the year. Their most common
butterfly garden food source is
Anise, Foeniculum vulgare, but they will also feed on a wide variety of other plants in the
same family, Umbelliferae. Anise can be a difficult plant to keep tamed in the garden.
Lomatium or snakeweed is the most common native food for the Anise Swallowtail, but this
plant is rarely found in the nursery trade. The adults also will occasionally feed on
Citrus. This adult Anise Swallowtail is resting on a stalk of the Slender Oat Grass,
Avena barbata. The anise has a flavor that is much like licorice and can be used in the
kitchen. The thick lower portion of the Anise plant can be blanched and the seeds eaten.
This
image is available in high resolution and is part of our photo
collection.
