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| Female Orchard Swallowtail |
Male Orchard Swallowtail |
Dingy Swallowtail |
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| Female Birdwing | Redbodied Swallowtail | Ulysses |
Papilionidae
Swallowtails, Birdwings, Kites
The largest and most magnificently coloured butterflies belong to this family. When butterflies were first being studied, in Europe, the few representatives of this family found there all had tails on the hindwings, giving rise to their popular name. Most species are found in the tropics however, and many of these do not have tails. Butterflies in this family show every imaginable colour combination, from muted tones to velvety blacks and brilliant metallic blues, greens and golds, including some startling contrasts.
The adults are strong, rapid flyers and are often hard to catch and harder still to photograph. There are eighteen recognized species in Australia, and most of them are found around my home in far north Queensland. I hope to track down and photograph more of them soon.
