Saturday 4 April 2015 photo 1/1
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The Cairns Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion)
With a wingspan close to 150mm on the males and 125mm on the females, its not hard to see why these incredibly vibrant butterfly species take the show when on display.
The species are distributed from Cairns right down to Mackay and are attracted to only a few species of plant in the area. These Butterflies are predominantly seen consuming nectar from lantana, Hibiscus and bougainvillea.
Throughout its lifetime, the Cairns Birdwing will produce up to 300 eggs. Once hatched, the larvae will frequently consume plants from the genus Aristolochia, a plant species which contains a highly unpalatable toxin which is thought to have helped in reducing the number of potential predators and ensuring its success.
Annons
Camera info
Camera NIKON D810
Focal length 105 mm
Aperture f/14.0
Shutter 1/250 s
ISO 200