The male is an iridescent blue-green with black edges. The female is more subdued in color. The body is plump and dark with a blue-green sheen. The Ulysses Butterfly has a wingspan of about 5.5 inches (14 cm). Both have a long "swallowtail."

Males are attracted to most blue objects (mistaking them for females). There are 16 known subspecies of the Ulysses. It is a protected species in Queensland, Australia.

Life Cycle: The caterpillar is green with a white stripe across the front, a white underside, rows of large white spots along the top, and a white spike on the rear. The pupa is light green and roughly crescent-shaped.

Classification: Order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Family Papilionidae (swallowtails), Genus Papilio, Species ulysses.