Appias paulina (Yellow Albatross)

Other Common Names

Common Albatross, Northern White

Notes

I first saw a male of this species in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney in July 2004 – it was a male and he landed in a tree close to me but unfortunately flew off before I was able to get a photo.

I saw several of them around Cairns in October 2005, but I only saw one land. This was a female, who was flying slowly close to the ground in the rainforest, landing for a short while and then taking off again. After following her for quite some time I was finally able to get close enough to take a photo.

I finally got some decent photos in the Royal Botanic Gardens in May 2006. I found a female who was alternately basking in the late autumn sunshine and then flying down to feed from some nearby flowers.In December 2007 I saw literally dozens of these butterflies in the Royal Botanical Gardens, almost all of them males.

Sightings

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney – July 2004, May 2006, December 2007, April 2018
Cairns – October 2005, August 2007, May 2010, May 2021
Mount Sugarloaf, NSW – December 2010
Darwin – April 2018, April 2024

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