The Ulysses Butterfly is also known as the Blue Mountain Swallowtail, the Blue Emperor, and the Mountain Blue. It is a spectacular bright blue and black Australian swallowtail butterfly. It lives in tropical rain forests in Australia, Indonesia, and other nearby islands.
The male is an iridescent blue-green with black edges. The female is more subdued in color. The body is plump and dark with a blue-green sheen. The Ulysses Butterfly has a wingspan of about 5.5 inches (14 cm). Both have a long "swallowtail."
Males are attracted to most blue objects (mistaking them for females). There are 16 known subspecies of the Ulysses. It is a protected species in Queensland, Australia.
Life Cycle: The caterpillar is green with a white stripe across the front, a white underside, rows of large white spots along the top, and a white spike on the rear. The pupa is light green and roughly crescent-shaped.
Classification: Order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Family Papilionidae (swallowtails), Genus Papilio, Species ulysses.