Ulysses butterfly
Papilio ulysses
- Size
- Wingspan about 10 to 13cm
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest and gardens of tropical north Queensland
A large swallowtail butterfly, electric blue on velvet black, with a tail on each hindwing.
The ulysses butterfly that follows you
This page is the edge of the rainforest in tropical north Queensland. Move your pointer and your bug will flutter, trundle or hop after you. Choose a different bug at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
Cairns right now checking the sky…
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01 · BlueA blue made of light
The wings have no blue dye. Tiny ridges on the scales reflect only blue light, so the colour seems to glow.
02 · FlashNow you see it
The underside is dull brown. As it flies, the blue flashes on and off, which makes it very hard for a bird to follow.
03 · FarSeen from far away
The flashes can be seen from hundreds of metres away.
04 · EmblemQueensland's butterfly
It is used as an emblem for tourism in tropical Queensland.
05 · TreeOne favourite tree
Its caterpillars feed mostly on the pink-flowered euodia tree, and planting it has helped the butterfly to recover.
06 · OtherAlso called the blue mountain swallowtail
It lives in New Guinea and nearby islands too.
Meet them all
Who's who in the tropical north
Cairns birdwing
Ornithoptera euphorion
- Size
- Females up to 15cm across: Australia's biggest butterfly
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest edges and gardens of north Queensland
A huge butterfly. The male is black and emerald green with golden hindwings. The female is larger, black and white.
Rhinoceros beetle
Xylotrupes ulysses
- Size
- Up to 6cm long
- Look for it
- October to December, then January to March
- Where
- Rainforest, gardens and street trees in tropical north Queensland
A big, glossy black beetle. The male has a forked horn on his head and another on his back.
Spiny leaf insect
Extatosoma tiaratum
- Size
- Females up to 15cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest and eucalyptus forest of Queensland and New South Wales
A big, brown stick insect covered in spines and leafy flaps, that curls its tail over its back like a scorpion.
Peacock spider
Maratus volans
- Size
- About 5mm long
- Look for it
- August to December
- Where
- Leaf litter and low shrubs, mostly in the east and south of Australia
A tiny jumping spider. The male has a brilliantly coloured flap on his back that he lifts like a peacock's tail.
Blue-banded bee
Amegilla cingulata
- Size
- About 11mm long
- Look for it
- October to December, then January to March
- Where
- Gardens, woodland and forest edges across much of Australia
A stout bee with a golden-brown furry chest and a black abdomen ringed with bands of pale, shining blue.
Through the year
When to look for them
It is warm all year in the tropics, with a wet season from about November to April. The green months are when each one is easiest to see. The bug following you is shown in red.
Ulysses butterfly
Birdwing
Rhinoceros beetle
Spiny leaf insect
Peacock spider
Blue-banded bee
Good to know
Six things about the tropical north
Older than the Amazon
The Daintree rainforest has been growing for well over a hundred million years.
Wet and dry
There are two seasons, not four: a hot, wet summer and a cooler, dry winter.
Everything is bigger
Warmth all year lets insects grow large: Australia's biggest butterfly, moth and beetles all live here.
Blue you can see for miles
Tour boats used to wave blue cloth to bring Ulysses butterflies closer. Males come to investigate anything that colour.
Easy to miss
A peacock spider is about the size of a grain of rice. Most kinds were only named in the last twenty years.
Bees without hives
Most Australian bees, like the blue-banded bee, live alone and make no honey.
Australian bugs: 1 more place
Where next?
Photo gallery
Real photos of the bugs on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Ulysses butterfly
Cairns birdwing
Rhinoceros beetle
Spiny leaf insect
Peacock spider
Blue-banded bee
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews. Open a photo to see who took it.
The oldest rainforest
The rainforest of north Queensland is among the oldest on Earth, and it is full of insects found nowhere else. Many have never been given a name.
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