BUTTERFLIES OF MAGNETIC ISLAND

Magnetic Island is famous for butterflies, especially in winter.

Blue tiger Tirumala hamata hamata
Cairns birdwing Ornithoptera euphorion
Chocolate argus Junonia hedonia zelima
Clearwing swallowtail Cressida cressida cressida
Dingy bush-brown Mycalesis perseus perseus
Green-spotted triangle Graphium agamemnon ligatum
New Guinea birdwing Ornithoptera priamus
No-brand grass-yellow Eurema brigitta australis
Pale triangle Graphium eurypylus lycaon
Purple beak Libythea geoffroyi nicevillei
Red-bodied swallowtail Pachliopta polydorus queenslandicus
Papilio aegeus
Ulysses butterfly Papilio ulysses joesa
Yellow palm-dart Cephrenes trichopepla
Spinifex sand-skipper Proeidosa polysema
Suniana sp.
Suniana sunias
Taractrocera sp.
Wandering glider Pantala flavescens

Cairns birdwing
(Ornithoptera euphorion)
Photo: Australian Butterfly Sanctuary

Blue tiger
(Tirumala hamata hamata)
Photo: abc.net.au

Common Crow
(Euploea core)

THE ANNUAL MAGNETIC ISLAND PILGRIMAGE OF BLUE TIGER BUTTERFLIES

Many years we are treated to a spectacle on Magnetic Island when we are visited by hundreds, if not thousands of butterflies who come here from all over Queensland for a winter holiday. One of the most noticeable are the Blue Tiger Butterflies (Tirumala Hamata Hamata). Other common names are Blue Wanderers, or Dark Blue Tiger.

Butterfly Rainforest at Horseshoe Bay
The Blue Tiger Butterflies rest in a hidden forest located just off Horseshoe Bay Road. This enchanting butterfly rainforest can be filled with hundreds of thousands of butterflies between April to September particularly in the mid-afternoon. If you're visiting, please treat quietly to not disturb them as they rest.

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ECOSYSTEMS  |  GEOLOGY  |  WORLD HERITAGE |
BIRDS  |  BUTTERFLIES  |  FROGS & TOADS  |  LIFE IN THE OCEAN  | PLANTS  |  WEEDS  | MAMMALS  |  REPTILES  |  SPIDERS & INSECTS

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