From vivid contrasting colours, the butterflies of the Daintree Rainforest are spectacular.
Tropical butterflies of Queensland are renowned for their striking beauty and dramatically contrasting colours.
It is, however, only a very short walk away from the Skyrail rainforest cableway. As it’s right in the middle of Kuranda, it’s easy to get to from Cairns. The butterfly wing can be seen through a microscope. If the wings are opening and closing slowly, it means they are aware of another presence nearby!
So what are the different species of butterflies in the Daintree?
The Ulysses
They are known for being quite hard to take photos of, because they are so quick to fly away! They live mostly in Northern Queensland and are common in the Daintree Rainforest. They are often nicknamed ‘the Mountain Blue Butterfly’, and the wingspan can go from 100mm to 130mm.
The caterpillar that it is before is green and white, and it’s the same colour as the plants that they feed on, to camouflage from all the predators.
Cairns Birdwing
The largest Australian butterfly is the Cairns birdwing. It is located anywhere from Northeastern Australia, from Mackay to Cooktown. It is easily identifiable because of its vivid green hues. The female wingspans can get up to 18cm!
The Orchard Butterfly
The Orchard is a black butterfly with white and red flecks on it, normally native to some other areas of New South Wales as well as Queensland. Their favourite foods are plants and citrus trees, which make them common visitor for gardens in orchards and back gardens. They only live for 4 weeks, so if you see one, it’s rare.
These pretty butterflies love the rainforest!
The red lacewing
These beautiful butterflies have striking black and red to warn off predators. The adults have a large red patch on their upper wings. They have very striking colours, so they won’t be hard to miss.
Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary
See the beautiful butterflies from the sanctuary for butterflies in Queensland! You’ll be able to see these wonderful little insects in all their glory in the Butterfly Sanctuary near Cairns. Kuranda.
Or, to see the vividly coloured wings and memorable colours for yourself, check out the butterflies of the Daintree. Head up to the Daintree Rainforest, where you will see them in the wild!
Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia
Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.