Here's the list of Swallowtail Host Plants, from the Butterfly Forum: SWALLOWTAILS Giant Swallowtail - Citrus family, Rutaceae 1. Ptelea trifoliata - hop tree, wafer ash 2. Zanthoxylum clava-herculis - hercules club 3. Zanthoxylum fagara - wild lime 4. Zanthoxylum americanum - prickly ash 5. Citrus spp. - various species, including cultivated 6. Murraya paniculata - orange jasmine 7. Ruta graveolens - rue Spicebush Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum - sassafras 4. Lindera benzoin - spicebush 5. Cinnamomum camphora - camphor tree Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars will die if raised on tropical pipevines. Please only use the pipevines on the list. Pipevine Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia macrophylla - big leaf pipevine 2. Aristolochia tomentosa - woolly pipevine 3. Aristolochia serpentaria - Virginia snakeroot 4. Aristolochia californica - California pipevine 5. Aristolochia fimbriata - white-veined Duchman's pipe 6. Aristolochia trilobata - Dutchman's Pipe 7. Aristolochia clematitis - Birthwort Anise Swallowtail - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Pimpinella anisum - anise 2. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 3. Lomatium  parsnip Eastern Black Swallowtail - Rue family, Rutaceae - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Ruta graveolens - rue 2. Anethum graveolens - dill 3. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 4. Petroselinum crispum  parsley 5. Zizia aurea - golden Alexander Palamedes Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum  sassafras Zebra Swallowtail - Pawpaw family, annonaceae 1. Asimina triloba - common pawpaw 2. Asimina pygmaea - dwarf pawpaw 3. Annona muricata  soursop Polydamas Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia elegans - calico flower 2. Aristolochia gigantea - giant pipevine Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Rose family, Rosaceae - Magnolia family, Magnoliaceae - Olive family, Oleaceae 1. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry 2. Liriodendron tulipifera - tulip poplar 3. Ptelea trifoliata - wafer ash, hoptree 4. Fraxinus velutina - Arizona ash tree Canadian Swallowtail 1. Populus tremuloides - quaking aspen Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail - Cherry family, Prunus - Ash family, Fraxinus - Citrus family, Ptelea 1. Prunus virginiana - chokecherry 2. Ptelea crenulata - California hoptree 3. Ptelea trifoliata - Common hoptree Pale Swallowtail - Buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae 1. Rhamnus californicus - coffeeberry 2. Ceanothus arboreus - California lilac Western Tiger Swallowtail - Willow family, Salicaceae

Rue thrives best on benign neglect. I rarely water it and never fertilize mine either. Treat it as a typical Mediterranean herb. except that in my zone, it prefers some shade. It should grow just fine in Florida. Maybe it needs more of a shady location, with excellent drainage, as most herbs require. Rue does need to be watered until it is established, and then very little once it is. I consider it a short-lived perennial. After 4 or 5 years, it will probably need to be replaced. Some say it self-sows for them, but for me, it never has. It does, however, root readily in water. I have cut stems to put in my caterpillar containers, and it has rooted, despite the foliage being eaten to the bones. Some people also have problems with contact dermatitis from handling the foliage and exposure to sunlight which then triggers the dermatitis. I am not allergic to it, but use caution just in case you are. I find Rue in the local nurseries that have a large Herb section, for a couple bucks a plant, so it's not expensive. That means it's easy to propagate and grows quickly, contrary to herbs like Bay Laurel that grow so slowly and can be difficult to propagate, hence they are much more expensive plants. Susan

I have enjoyed reading all the posts on host plants. It has given me info for my garden. However, I have been wondering what you are going to do with all this information. It sounds like you are going to use it personally to create a BF habitat in your yard. On keeping trees small for BFs, I like to think of it as BF Bonsai. I love the look of the Tulip Poplar tree. It's a very nice large tree, so I wouldn't mind having one in my yard, which is close to an acre. If Hubby would agree, our yard would border on being wooded! But, he likes everything spaced out. Currently my tulip trees are in pots on the patio, as they are still very small. Amazingly, though, I had small cats on the first tree within weeks after I got it. If you are looking for a small tree to attract a great number of BFs, the wafer ash fits the bill. I don't know if it is hardy in your area, but it's definitely one I'm adding to my backyard. As for Wild Black Cherry, there is one behind me that is an absolutely ugly tree. WBC is definitely one of those trees that would need to be kept pruned and not allowed to go wild. Having said all that, I'd be very sad to see the tree cut down, as it attracts all sorts of BFs and birds. Looks aren't everything! I think most of us on the forum have learned what works by trial and error. I know I have. I've been BF gardening for at least 12 years, and have given up on lots of plants, and am still acquiring other plants. Each season, I add new BFs to my raised category. My Xerces Society Butterfly Gardening Book has been a constant source for plants for BFs. Before I had this forum or used the internet, I relied on that book to build my garden. According to XSBFG, tulip poplar, sweet-bay, wild black cherry, chokecherry, ashes, hop tree (wafer ash), American hornbeam, spicebush, lilac, birches and aspens are hosts. The last two are listed for the Papilio canadensis. One thing I enjoyed about reading the XSBFG book is the accounts of the gardeners and their experiences. The notion that one plant works in all situations is quickly dispelled in this book. The best way to find out the best host in your area is to start planting. Start with the one you really want and if it doesn't work, try another. OKSandy

I've never tried keeping tulip poplars or black cherries in pots indefinitely, so I don't know the answer, Kathy. I wouldn't think it'd take long for them to get pot bound, so you'd need to keep potting them up to bigger containers - you couldn't keep this up forever, so eventually the trees would probably die. I doubt that pruning the tops will keep the roots from growing normally. Maybe you could learn root pruning and/or bonsai? I find most of my tigers on wild black cherry/prunus serotina and tulip poplar/liriodendron tulipifera, but I find quite a few on hop tree/ptelea trifoliata, which is the favorite host plant for giant swallowtails. My pteleas don't get very big, just to small tree or bush size. Sherry