#ULYSSES BUTTERFLY PATCH#

The 5cm caterpillar is attractive being mostly green with bands of white and dark brown and some small spines down the back. It's favoured food plants are citrus trees which make it a commonly seen visitor to backyard gardens and, of course, orchards. It is mostly black with some white towards the end of the wings. The orchard butterfly is one of the larger species of the region and it can also be found along the east coast of Australia. Red fruits similar to a persimmon or tamarillo are a feature of this vine, making it an attractive addition to the garden. Another rainforest vine serves as their favoured food plant and it is called the adenia ( Adenia heterophylla) or lacewing vine (after the butterfly). Their pupa is a drab brown except for specs of metallic gold on one side. The lower edges of their wings are scalloped and trimmed with black and white.

#ULYSSES BUTTERFLY PATCH#

Adults have a large red patch on their upper wings followed by a white steak and bordered in black. The caterpillar of the attractive red lacewing ( Cethosia cydippe) is a striking black with solid yellow stripes. However, beware of the exotic dutchman's pipe ( Aristolochia elegans) which is poisonous to the Cairns birdwing. Residents who plant the native rainforest vine, dutchman's pipe ( Aristolochia tagala), in their garden will encourage regular visits by this impressive butterfly. Both sexes have yellow bodies with a bright red thorax (the body part just behind the head). The female lacks the green but makes up for it with her greater size. The upper wings of the males are black with emerald green streaks across the length of the pointed wing. The Cairns Birdwing ( Ornithoptera priamus) is the largest butterfly in Australia with a wingspan of over 16cm. The tree is called the Euodia ( Melicope elleryana) and its floral rewards are also the favourite of many birds and flying foxes. Its favourite food plant is a handsome tree with clusters of small pink flowers growing straight out of the branches. The Ulysses caterpillar is thickset, a lovely grass green colour with a banana yellow collar and spots. A large swallowtail species, the Ulysses can be seen throughout the region in rainforest and suburban gardens. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach.Perhaps the most popular insect of the Wet Tropics is the Ulysses butterfly ( Papilio ulysses), an unmistakable creature with brilliant electric blue upper wings, trimmed in black. Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach, 1998 Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the World Part I (1), Papilionidae Papilionidae I: Papilio, Subgenus Achillides, Bhutanitis, Pooples.

Archived from the original on 15 August 2013.

^ 'Facts About the Migration of the Ulysses Butterfly'.

: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link) Perhaps the most popular insect of the Wet Tropics is the Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses), an unmistakable creature with brilliant electric blue upper. Wootton (2001) Sculpted-multilayer optical effects in two species of Papilio butterfly.

^ Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to MacKay.

georgius Rothschild, 1908 New Georgia Group morotaicus Rothschild, 1908 Morotai Island nigerrimus Ribbe, 1898 Bougainville, Shortland Is. ambiguus Rothschild, 1895 Bismarck Archipelago orsippus Godman & Salvin, 1888 Choiseul, Isabel, Guadalcana, Florida Island joesa Butler, 1869 Cape York - McKay, Queensland telemachus Montrouzier, 1856 Trobriand, Fergusson, Goodenough The other members of the Papilio ulysses species group. Males are strongly attracted to the colour blue, including blue objects which are sometimes mistaken for females. When in flight, the butterfly can be seen hundreds of metres away as sudden bright blue flashes. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden by the plainer brown under side of its wings, helping it to blend in with its surroundings. The female of the species is different from the male in that she has little crescents of blue in the back, upside sections of her hindwings, where there is only black for males. The colours are produced by the microscopic structure of the scales, a phenomenon called structural colouration.

The upperside of the wings are an iridescent electric blue the underside is a more subdued black and brown. The Ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about 14 cm (5.5 in), but depending on subspecies has some variations in size (western subspecies largest). Male of Papilio ulysses ambiguus from New Britain, Papua New Guinea