"I became aware of the California Pipevine swallowtail - which is native here to San Francisco - a couple years ago," Wong said in an interview with The Weather Channel this past summer.

The giant swallowtail caterpillar has a smeary black and white pattern, and when it’s still small, it’s easy to miss because it looks like bird droppings. The pipevine caterpillar is dark ...

It is the only local larval host plant for the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. Pipevine tolerates just about any soil but needs part to full shade and a little water in summer. While it can be ...