Papilio aegeus (Orchard Swallowtail)

Synonyms

Princeps aegeus, Menelaides aegeus, Papilio oberon, Papilio erectheus, Papilio doddi

Other Common Names

Large Citrus Butterfly, Orchard Butterfly

Notes

When I first started photographing butterflies (with a little Point-and-shoot camera) I had a tiny little orange tree in our garden, but every year I had the larvae of this species feeding on it.
I see the adults a lot, but I’ve rarely been able to get any photos of them. In fact, I’ve hardly ever got close; as they prefer to keep on flyiong than to sit and pose for my camera. 
To get my first photos of the adults, I had to cheat and keep some of the pupae from my orange tree until they hatched. The first was a female, from a larva that pupated in May, which hatched in early December 2004. She only sat still for a very short time before flying off, so I didn’t get many photos. 

I was eventually able to get a couple of photos of an adult male without having to cheat. I was in the Auburn Botanic Gardens in January 2005, and most of the day was very cloudy and not very bright at all. A male butterfly flew past and settled on a small shrub nearby. I was able to get a couple of photos before I disturbed him. They’re not great pictures, largely because the light was not at all good. I also found that the sheer size of the butterfly made it hard to get it properly in shot.

Since then I’ve taken a few shots here and there, as despite seeing the butterfly on very many occasions I still have had few photo opportunities. Oddly enough other people don’t seem to have the same problem; this species accounts for the majority of the photos that are sent to me for identification.

Sightings

Almost anywhere along the east coast of Australia.

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