Ulysses
A very recognizable butterfly. It is velvety black with two thirds of its wings a brilliant metallic blue. Female colouring appears slightly duller. They fly high and you can see the splashes of brilliant colour. When at rest, the wings are closed, looking almost ‘shadowy’ to avoid detection.
The males are especially attracted to blue objects, even from a distance of 30 metres.
- Scientific Name
- Papilio ulysses
- Feeds On
- Euodia or Evodia (Melicope elleryana)
- Usual Location
- Coastal North Queensland Rainforests
- Best Viewing
- February to May
- Wing Span
- 10 cm
- Caterpillar
- Fully grown caterpillar is shiny green with several white creamy blotches and a slight blue patch visible within each segment as it moves.
- Chrysalis
- Attached by its tail to a pad of silk, the chrysalis also has a girdle around its middle. The chrysalis is sometimes green or it could be light brown with a tinge of orange. Its head has two prominent horns.