Orchard Swallowtail - Papilio aegeus

A male Orchard Swallowtail butterfly.

This little fellow barely kept still long enough for me to take a photo of it. They have become less frequently sighted in town. They are normally sighted around dense foliage laying eggs or eating from plants and usually around Spring until late Summer. They seem to prefer and are more commonly sighted in or near a permanent water supply, like the Tenterfield Creek.

Butterfly species 1

Large Black and white species.

Despite the Grey Fantail and other bird in this video, I followed 2 large Black and White butterflies around my neighbour's garden. One appeared to be laying eggs and the other fertilizing them but could be wrong. They were flapping their wings too fast to get a photo of them, even a screenshot from this video.

PART 1

PART 2

This species is rare in Tenterfield and was taken in Spring of 2012. Only 2 individuals of this species has been recorded/sighted in the south-western part of town. Hopefully next Summer will see an increase in these beautiful butterflies. They take their time flying about and have a wingspan of about 13cms. They are the largest butterfly I've seen in Tenterfield to date.