Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera)

Butterflies, along with moths (which are not dealt with in this section), belong to the Order Lepidoptera. We have over 400 species of butterfly in Australia. Our local butterflies belong to five families: the Skippers (Hesperiidae), Blues (Lycaenidae), Nymphs (Nymphalidae), Swallowtails (Papillionidae), and the Whites and Yellows (Pieridae).

While there are a handful of butterfly species which can be observed on the wing at any month of the year, the butterfly season is generally from September through to April. Most species will fly for only a part of the season however. Butterflies prefer warm, sunny, calm weather, and it will be much easier to find butterflies in these conditions. Some species also prefer to fly at a certain time of the day. It is often easier to observe butterflies at high points in the landscape like hill summits, as the males of many species of butterfly will congregate at such points to set up breeding territories; this behaviour is called hilltopping. Another easy way to find butterflies is to locate flowering plants and watch what butterflies come to visit.

When taking photos of butterflies, it is most helpful to obtain images of both the upperside (dorsal) view of the wings, in addition to the underside (ventral) view of the wings. This makes the identification process much easier for some of the hard-to-identify species. If possible, including features of the butterfly’s surrounds for context can be helpful for determining the relative size of the butterfly. Bear in mind that as a butterfly ages, it can become quite tatty and faded, so that it may have chunks of a wing missing, or appear much paler than it otherwise appears in photos.

Butterflies are the adult stage of the life cycle (so it’s important to note that if you see a small butterfly, it is not going to grow into a larger one, it will stay the same size!). Adult butterflies are the life stage responsible for the reproduction and dispersal of the species; the females lay eggs singly or in clusters on or near the larval food plant; these eggs then hatch into larvae (caterpillars) which are the life stage responsible for eating and growing; these then form a pupa (chrysalis) where the larval stage transforms into the adult butterfly. Some species will overwinter as eggs, or as larvae, or as pupae. Some species are migratory and do not overwinter here at all, and some species are only occasional vagrants to our area.

Further reference on Australian Lepidoptera by one of our Moderators Don Herbison-Evans can be found on the following web pages:

Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera)

Blues & Coppers (Lycaenidae)

Nymphs (Nymphalidae)

Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

Whites & Yellows (Pieridae)

Featured sightings

Papilio aegeus (Orchard Swallowtail, Large Citrus Butterfly) at Penrose, NSW - 18 Mar 2023 by Aussiegall

Delias nigrina (Black Jezebel) at Penrose, NSW - 1 Jan 2022 by Aussiegall

Tisiphone abeona (Varied Sword-grass Brown) at Penrose, NSW - 9 Dec 2021 by Aussiegall

Trapezites symmomus (Splendid Ochre) at Glenquarry - 5 Jan 2021 by Snowflake

Pieris rapae (Cabbage White) at Bowral, NSW - 9 Apr 2014 by michaelb

Latest sightings

Danaus plexippus at Orangeville, NSW by belleandjason

Unidentified Skipper (Hesperiidae) at Fitzroy Falls, NSW by Harrisi

Belenois java at Penrose, NSW by Aussiegall

Zizina otis at Penrose, NSW by Aussiegall

Toxidia doubledayi at Penrose, NSW by Aussiegall

Geitoneura acantha at Penrose, NSW by Aussiegall

Papilio aegeus at Brownlow Hill, NSW by MaxDownes

Heteronympha merope (Common Brown Butterfly) at Fitzroy Falls, NSW by plants

Vanessa itea (Yellow Admiral) at Fitzroy Falls, NSW by plants

Tisiphone abeona at Wildes Meadow, NSW by plants

Belenois java at Mittagong, NSW by Span102

Tisiphone abeona at Penrose, NSW by Aussiegall

Danaus plexippus at Orangeville, NSW by belleandjason3113

Tisiphone abeona (Varied Sword-grass Brown) at Appin, NSW by jb2602

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Discussion

Aussiegall wrote:

24 Nov 2024

@MichaelBedingfield It did emerge but unfortunately, I was out when it did and came home to find that it had fallen off the leaf onto the bottom of the container. I carefully popped it back on the leaf in the garden and it unfurled, when I went back to check on it later, it was gone

Vanessa itea

owenh wrote:

21 Nov 2024

Hi Aussiegall, looks like a mature Vanessa kershawi pupa. Hope you get to see the butterfly emerge.

Vanessa itea

MichaelBedingfield wrote:

21 Nov 2024

A butterfly

Vanessa itea

GlossyGal wrote:

26 Sep 2024

Thank you ☺️