Alpine black swallowtail Coloring Pages

A beautiful butterfly with a magical sparkle!

The Alpine black swallowtail is a member of the swallowtail butterfly family that lives in the mountains of Japan. Depending on how the light hits them, its wings sparkle with deep blue-green and blue-purple colors. It is so magically beautiful! Because of this sparkle, people also call it the "flying jewel."

The English name of the Alpine black swallowtail is Papilio maackii. This name comes from the Russian naturalist, Richard Maack. Its Japanese name, "Miyama Karasu Ageha," means a swallowtail butterfly that lives deep in the mountains (Miyama) and has dark wings like a crow (Karasu).

Where does it live?

Besides Japan, the Alpine black swallowtail lives in a wide area of East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, China, and Russia.

• Where it lives in Japan: It mostly lives in forests high up in the mountains and along stream valleys in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. It likes places with lots of wild nature more than countryside hills near towns.
  • You can often find them along mountain rivers and in forests with broadleaf trees like chestnut and maple trees.

What do the patterns on its body look like?

Male and female Alpine black swallowtails have different wing colors and shapes.

• Male: The top side of its wings sparkles with bright blue and green when you look at it from different angles. Butterflies that come out in summer shine even brighter! Their hind wings have tail-like points (tail projections).
• Female: Its wings are darker than the male's, and they do not shine quite as much. Females are bigger than males, and the white patterns on their hind wings often stand out more.
• The underside of the wings: The underside has intricate red and blue patterns on a black background. This side is very beautiful, too!

What does it eat?

The Alpine black swallowtail eats different things as it grows up.

• Caterpillar: It mostly eats leaves from trees in the citrus family, such as the Amur cork tree and the glossy-leaf prickly ash. It can only live in places where these food plants grow.
• Adult: It drinks nectar from flowers for energy. It really loves flowers like thistles and field thistles.

How long does it live?

New Alpine black swallowtails appear 2 to 3 times a year.

• Butterflies that come out in summer have very shiny wings, but they live for a short time—only a few weeks.
• They spend the winter as chrysalises and hatch into butterflies in the spring.

How to Choose Colors: Express the Shiny Look of Blue and Green Jewels!

It is so much fun to paint shiny colors on this Alpine black swallowtail coloring page.

• Black background on the wings: Instead of plain black, try using dark navy blue or bluish-black for the whole wing. It will make the sparkle stand out!
• Shiny parts: Mix and color the wide parts of the wings with metallic blue, dark green, and purple. If you press a little lighter or harder while you color, it will look like the light is shining on them.
• Patterns on the underside: When you color the underside of the wings, carefully draw the cool patterns using bright colors like red, blue, and yellow.

Coloring Tips: Layer Colors to Create Texture!

• How to make it look metallic: Color light blue or green over a dark color. It will make your wings look shiny!
• Make it look 3D: Make the base of the wings (close to the body) darker, and make it lighter toward the tips of the wings. This will make the wings look 3D!

Tips to Enjoy Your Coloring Page!

• Express yourself freely!
• You do not have to use real colors. You can color it any way you like! What kind of Alpine black swallowtail do you want to see? Rainbow wings or a shiny gold body sound like fun, too!
• Try adding a background!
• Where do you think the Alpine black swallowtail is flying? Add a pretty mountain river or a field of thistle flowers to bring your picture to life!