Blue Triangle Graphium choredon
Wingspan: 57 - 60mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: Sept to April
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Status Claire Cottage: common
Wingspan: 57 - 60mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: Sept to April
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Status Claire Cottage: common
Claire Cottage Dorrigo, 5 Dec 2019
Blue Triangle feeding on Buddleia, 13 Mar 2011 11.49am
Female Blue Triangle, Claire Cottage Dorrigo, 16 Feb 2017
The first four photos below (16 Feb 2017, 5.54 pm) are of the Blue Triangle courtship. Note the brushes of long white hair-like sex scales the flying male has extended from folds in the inner margins of the hindwings. The female waits patiently while the male flutters around her, his wings never still even during mating, hers have stopped beating. Hopefully, the female will lay her eggs on one of the many Laurels we have now planted.
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A Blue Triangle larva on Camphor Laurel, Coramba NSW, 2020 (Photo Rowan McCabe)
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Blue Triangle drinking from Carol's damp swimming costume, Mossman FNQ.
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Above a Blue Triangle has been attracted to Carol's wet swimming costume in Far Nth Qld. It fluttered around for ages drinking moisture or minerals.
An early instar Blue Triangle caterpillar in Far Nth. Queensland, 7 Jan 2012
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A later instar Blue Triangle caterpillar Far Nth. Queensland (NB the change to the spines), 5 Jan 2012
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Blue Triangle Graphium choredon
Wingspan: 57 - 60mm
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Sighted Claire Cottage: Sept to April
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Status Claire Cottage: common
Butterfly Sightings:
Larva Sightings:
Larval food plants:
Last warm season sighting - Dorrigo Plateau: 25/03/18, 19/04/20, 14/03/21
First Spring sighting - Dorrigo Plateau: 05/11/18, 03/10/19
Summer period sightings - 2018-2019 - sighted every sunny day November through to end February
Summer period sightings - 2019-2020 - first sighting at Claire Cottage - sighted most sunny days throughout the day.
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Summer 2018-2019 - sighted every sunny day November through to end February
Summer period 2019-2020 - sighted most sunny days.
Items of Interest:
Difficult to photograph because they are so energetic, Blue Triangle's were at first infrequent visitors to our garden, however following the establishment of a good array of nectar plants (after 2012 approx) they are now seen most days from November to March and usually spend considerable time in the garden feeding. They are strong, fast flyers, arriving at speed, feeding mostly on our Buddleias with wings constantly vibrating. They move quickly from flower to flower traveling all around the garden mostly at speed before vanishing as quickly as they came.
Summer 2020/2021 - good numbers of Blue Triangles in the garden most of the day once the sun is shining on our buddleias. Usually 2-3 but often as many as 6 at any one time twisting and turning as a group in the air. Our best Blue Triangle season to date and lovely to have these beautiful butterflies stay in the garden for a long time rather than just fly through as happened before we planted buddleia bushes. It is now early March and we are sighting them still when the sun shines but in smaller numbers now.
We are yet to find Blue Triangle caterpillars feeding on our native rainforest trees (many in the Lauraceae Family) but hope that as the young trees mature in our rainforest regeneration areas female Blue Triangles will visit them and lay plenty of eggs.
Wingspan: 57 - 60mm
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Sighted Claire Cottage: Sept to April
Distribution: Cape York, FNQ to Nowra, NSW
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Status Claire Cottage: common
Butterfly Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: Sep 2009, 2013, 2020, Oct 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2020; Nov 2004, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2018, 2020; Dec 2001, 2002, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 (big numbers), Jan 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021; Feb 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 ; Mar 2002, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021; Apl 2015, May ; June
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: On the wing longer in some other rainforest areas on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: Jan 2002, Feb 2002
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
Larval food plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE:
- LAURACEAE - Cinnamomum oliveri, Cryptocarya triplinervis, Litsea reticulata, Neolitsea dealbata; VERBENACEAE - Clerodendrum tomentosum (Hairy Clerodendrum)
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: (as for Claire Cottage plus) LAURACEAE - Cinnamomum camphora* (Camphor Laurel)
- ELSEWHERE: (as for Dorrigo Plateau plus) ANNONACEAE - Annona reticulata* LAURACEAE - Beilschmiedia obtusifolia, Cryptocarya corrugata, C. densiflora, C. erythroxylon, C. hypsopodia, C. mackinnoniana, C. microneura, C. murrayi, Endiandra impressicosta, Litsea bindoniana, L. breviumbellata, L. glutinosa, L. leefeana, Neolitsea australiensis; MONIMIACEAE - Doryphora aromatica; RUTACEAE - Geijera salicifolia; SAPOTACEAE - Planchonella laurifolia; VERBENACEAE - Clerodendrum spp.
Last warm season sighting - Dorrigo Plateau: 25/03/18, 19/04/20, 14/03/21
First Spring sighting - Dorrigo Plateau: 05/11/18, 03/10/19
Summer period sightings - 2018-2019 - sighted every sunny day November through to end February
Summer period sightings - 2019-2020 - first sighting at Claire Cottage - sighted most sunny days throughout the day.
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Summer 2018-2019 - sighted every sunny day November through to end February
Summer period 2019-2020 - sighted most sunny days.
Items of Interest:
Difficult to photograph because they are so energetic, Blue Triangle's were at first infrequent visitors to our garden, however following the establishment of a good array of nectar plants (after 2012 approx) they are now seen most days from November to March and usually spend considerable time in the garden feeding. They are strong, fast flyers, arriving at speed, feeding mostly on our Buddleias with wings constantly vibrating. They move quickly from flower to flower traveling all around the garden mostly at speed before vanishing as quickly as they came.
Summer 2020/2021 - good numbers of Blue Triangles in the garden most of the day once the sun is shining on our buddleias. Usually 2-3 but often as many as 6 at any one time twisting and turning as a group in the air. Our best Blue Triangle season to date and lovely to have these beautiful butterflies stay in the garden for a long time rather than just fly through as happened before we planted buddleia bushes. It is now early March and we are sighting them still when the sun shines but in smaller numbers now.
We are yet to find Blue Triangle caterpillars feeding on our native rainforest trees (many in the Lauraceae Family) but hope that as the young trees mature in our rainforest regeneration areas female Blue Triangles will visit them and lay plenty of eggs.
