Graphium macleayanum (Macleay’s Swallowtail) 

Synonyms

Graphium macleayanus

Other Common Names

Green Fanny

Notes

The first place I found this species in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Iwas unable to take any photos of them until early May 2004, when I saw one feeding from white lantana bushes near the gate where the Botanic Gardens joins onto the Conservatorium of Music.Unfortunately the area was in the shade, because of the tall buildings nearby. The resulting poor light, plus the constant fluttering of the wings so typical of Graphium species (infuriating!) made it difficult to get decent pictures. Still, at least one of them is properly focussed.
In February and March 2005 I saw several of these butterflies feeding from those same white lantanas, but unfortunately they were no easier to photograph.

This difficulty has been a consistent theme with Macleay’s Swallowtails. They fly around a lot but don’t settle often. I’ve seen them dance around above hilltops for hours on end without ever taking a break; I was exhausted just watching them. Every now and then one will sit still for a while; in my experience this most commonly happens during an overcast period on an otherwise sunny day. They’re usually still quite hard to approach, so must be stalked with caution, but my collection of snatched shots of hyperactive Macleay’s has been enhanced with a small number of shots of stationary individuals.

Sightings

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney – April and May 2004, February and March 2005, July 2008, July 2013.
Mount Annan – March 2007, September 2019
Blackheath – January 2008, December 2008, December 2014
Lawson – October 2008, October 2023
Ourimbah – November 2018, March 2021

I have seen this butterfly on many other occasions, especially on hilltops, though photo opportunities have been relatively few. The most unfortunate example was at the top of Mount Wellington in Hobart, Tasmania in January 2019.  A few of these Swallowtails were on the wing but they never gave me a chance, which was a shame because they were subspecies moggana, which I have not photographed yet.

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