Common Bluebottle Coloring Pages

A speedy butterfly with cool blue stripes!

The Common Bluebottle is a very pretty swallowtail butterfly with bright blue-green stripes on its wings. You can often see them near city parks and street trees, and they are famous for flying super fast.

The scientific name of the Common Bluebottle is Graphium sarpedon. It was named after Sarpedon, a hero in Greek myths. The Japanese name "Aosuji-ageha" means "blue-striped swallowtail," which simply describes the blue stripes on its wings and its swallowtail butterfly family.

Where do they live?

The Common Bluebottle lives in warm places from Asia to Oceania, including Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Islands), China, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

• Where you can find them in Japan: They like flat lands, countryside hills, and cities more than high mountains. They especially love places with camphor trees and machilus trees, which the caterpillars eat.
  • You can easily spot them around parks, street trees, and gardens in quiet neighborhoods, so they are very close to us!

What do their bodies look like?

The wing patterns of the Common Bluebottle are very special!

• Main wing color: They are mostly black, with narrow and pointy wings.
• Blue stripes: Beautiful blue-green or light blue stripes run across the middle of their wings. These stripes sparkle when the butterfly flies!
• Underside of the wings: The underside is lighter than the top, with a few small red dots.

What do they eat?

The Common Bluebottle eats different things as it grows up.

• Caterpillar: They only eat the leaves of trees in the laurel family, mainly camphor trees and machilus trees. Having these trees around is super important for them to survive.
• Adult: They drink flower nectar for power. They love sweet flowers with lots of nectar, like azaleas and buddleja.

How long do they live?

In warm areas, a new generation of Common Bluebottle comes out 3 to 4 times a year!

• You can see adult butterflies from spring all the way to autumn.
• In winter, they spend their time as a chrysalis and wait for the next spring.
• They only live for a short time as adults, usually just a few weeks.

How to Choose Colors: Show off those speedy blue stripes!

When you color the Common Bluebottle coloring page, make a sharp contrast between the black and the bright blue.

• The black on the wings: Carefully color the whole background dark black or navy blue. Coloring the black deeply will make the blue stripes stand out even more!
• The blue stripes: Try coloring the stripes on the wings with a bright blue-green or light blue. If you make the middle of the stripes a little lighter, they will look like they are reflecting light, making the butterfly look super fast!
• The pattern on the underside: When you color the underside of the wings, use light brown or gray as the base. Then, add small red dots as fun accents!

Coloring Tips: Smooth texture and dynamic stripes!

• Smoothness: The Common Bluebottle has smooth wing edges without many bumps. If you color the whole wing smoothly, it will look just like a butterfly flying at high speed!
• Make it look 3D: Use a darker color near the base of the wings (close to the body) and a lighter color near the tips. This makes the wings look 3D!

Tips to Enjoy Your Coloring Page!

• Express yourself freely!
• You do not have to stick to real colors. Color your Common Bluebottle any way you like! You can make up your own original butterfly with golden stripes or a pink body. That sounds like fun!
• Try drawing a background!
• Where do you think the Common Bluebottle is flying? Add some azalea flowers, a blue sky, or camphor tree leaves around it to bring your picture to life!