Papilio Ulysses, Australia and Indonesia
The Ulysses Butterfly is an iridescent blue-green butterfly that has black
edges and a long "swallowtail" usually seen a natural posture
showing its underside and is also known as the Blue Mountain Swallowtail,
the Blue Emperor, and the Mountain Blue. The brilliant blue of this butterfly's
wings makes it an unmistakably easily to recognize butterfly. Oddly enough
this feature makes it hard for birds to catch them. Much like catching
fireflies, the flashes of color are so distracting that the path of the
insect is hard to predict.
Many subspecies of the Ulysses butterfly are found in upland tropical
rainforest areas in North Ea stem Australia, Indonesian Islands, New Guinea
Islands, the East Indies, Solomon's Islands, and other nearby islands.
Australia has even made the papilio ulysses butterfly a protected species
and used it as a symbol of tourism throughout Northern Queensland. Ulysses
is one of the most vivid and largest of all the oriental swallowtails.
Flight is strong, controlled, and swift. It flies in woodland and open
country with an undulating flight, drinking casually from flowers and
puddles of water. The caterpillar feeds on Lemon, and Orange citrus trees
and as an adult butterfly in the wild will feed on the new growth foliage
of the following jungle trees: Glasswood, Yellow Evodia, Northern Euodia,
Silver Ash, Kerosine Wood. Ulysses populations have recently increased
in suburban areas due to the planting of its larval food pl ant.
During courtship the male flutters briefly above the female displaying
his shimmering iridescent metallic-blue wings. Pairing takes place and
usually lasts for 2 hours. If disturbed, the female will carry the male
for short distances as he hangs beneath her. Males are intensely attracted
to bright blue objects because they mistaking them for females from a
distance as far as 30 meters. Collectors have exploited this by using
a piece of blue paper or cloth to attract the butterflies to their nets.
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