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Ulysses Butterfly
Papilio ulysses
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumArthropoda (Arthropods)
- ClassInsecta (Insects)
- OrderLepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- FamilyPapilionidae (Swallowtails and Parnassians)
- GenusPapilio (Common Swallowtails)
- SpeciesPapilio ulysses (Ulysses Butterfly)
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
118 Verified sightings at Daintree National Park From 2019 to 2026
118 In 1 park
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Ulysses Butterfly
Papilio ulysses, the Ulysses butterfly (also known as the blue mountain swallowtail butterfly or Blue emperor), is a large swallowtail butterfly, in the subgenus Achillides, of Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Its size varies depending on subspecies, but the wingspan is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) in Queensland.
This butterfly is used as an emblem for tourism in Queensland, Australia. The Ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about 14 cm (5.5 in), but depending on subspecies has some variations in size (western subspecies largest). The upperside of the wings are an iridescent electric blue; the underside is a more subdued black and brown. The colours are produced by the microscopic structure of the scales, a phenomenon called structural colouration.
The female of the species is different from the male in that she has little crescents of blue in the back, upside sections of her hindwings, where there is only black for males. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden by the plainer brown under side of its wings, helping it to blend in with its surroundings. When in flight, the butterfly can be seen hundreds... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Ulysses Butterfly in Daintree National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Closest Relatives at Daintree National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Ulysses Butterfly in Daintree National Park?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ulysses Butterfly sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 856 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Ulysses Butterfly in Daintree National Park?
April and May
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Ulysses Butterfly in Daintree National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see an Ulysses Butterfly?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ulysses Butterfly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Where else can you see an Ulysses Butterfly?
Only Daintree National Park, in our data
Daintree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Ulysses Butterfly sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Which relatives of the Ulysses Butterfly live in Daintree National Park?
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Ulysses Butterfly that you can see in Daintree National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Orchard Swallowtail (about 20%) and Ambrax Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Ulysses Butterfly sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ulysses Butterfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Daintree National Park (118 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
