Papilio ulysses (Ulysses Swallowtail)

Other Common Names

Mountain Blue Butterfly, Ulysses Butterfly, Mountain Swallowtail, Blue Swallowtail, Imperial Swallowtail, Blue Emperor

Notes

OK, it’s a bit of a cheat because my first few photos were taken in the Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary. I did see several of these butterflies whilst I was at Cairns on that first trip, both in the town and in the rainforest nearby. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any photos in the wild; the nearest I got was when I saw one feeding from Lantana flowers in a small clearing in the forest, but it didn’t stay still long enough for me to get any photos.

Most of the sightings of this butterfly were of individuals flying down from the canopy to take a quick turn around a sunny spot. They are a stunning sight, a flash of electric blue which is a darker colour than I expected from seeing photos and mounted specimens of the butterfly. Just about every time I saw a Ulysses fly around a clearing it was chased off by other butterflies; I began to wonder if the other species are jealous of the Ulysses and so chase it of whenever it appears.

I finally did manage to get a photo or two of a wild specimen when I returned to Cairns in April 2006, although I actually saw far fewer of these butterflies on that trip. I don’t know whether this was simply because they’re less common at that time, or whether it was because of the overcast weather that plagued the trip.

I’ve continued to pick up the odd photo here and there on subsequent trips, with the highlight being on the last morning of my March 2017 trip. I went to the Cairns Central Swamp early that morning, and found a Ulysses basking in the early sunshine. Whilst it wasn’t all that photogenic, being a rather worn specimen, it still looked very flashy and colourful when it took off.

Sightings

Cairns – every time I’ve been there
Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary – October 2005
Townsville – December 2017

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