Great Mormon Coloring Pages

A butterfly with big wings and changing female patterns!

The Great Mormon is a swallowtail butterfly. Among Japanese butterflies, the female is especially big. Also, the wing patterns look very different between boys and girls! They used to live only in warm areas, but because of global warming, you can now see them in many parts of Honshu.

The English name of the Great Mormon is Papilio memnon. It was named after Memnon, a king of Ethiopia in Greek mythology. Its Japanese name, "Nagasaki Ageha," comes from how Nagasaki Prefecture used to be the northernmost place they mainly lived in Japan.

Where do they live?

Great Mormons live widely across warm areas of Asia. You can find them in Japan (from southern Honshu to the Nansei Islands), southern China, Southeast Asia, and India.

• Where to find them in Japan: They used to live mostly in warm western Japan like Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Nansei Islands. But lately, you can easily find them in the Kanto region too.
  • They love trees from the citrus family (like satsuma oranges and trifoliate oranges), which their caterpillars eat. You can easily find them nearby in gardens, parks, and farms on flat land.

What do their bodies look like?

Boy and girl Great Mormons look totally different!

• Boys: Their wings are mostly black and not very shiny. One big thing to look for is that they do not have tail-like points (tail projections) on their hindwings. They look simple and strong overall.
• Girls: Their wings are a bit bigger than the boys', and they have many different types of wing colors and patterns!
  • They are special because they have big white and red spots on their hindwings. People think this pattern helps protect them from enemies by pretending to be a poisonous butterfly called the Common Rose.
  • Just like the boys, girl Great Mormons do not have tail projections either.

What do they eat?

Great Mormons eat different things as they grow up!

• Caterpillars: They mostly eat leaves from citrus family plants. If you have satsuma orange trees or trifoliate orange trees, you might find caterpillars right in your garden!
• Adults: They drink nectar from flowers to get energy. They love big flowers like hibiscus and flowers full of sweet nectar like buddleja!

How long is their life?

In warm places, new Great Mormons are born 3 to 5 times a year!

• You can see adult butterflies for a long time from spring to autumn.
• They spend the winter as a pupa and wait for the next spring.
• Their life as an adult butterfly is short, lasting only a few weeks.

How to Pick Your Colors: Boys and Girls, Color Your Favorite Style!

For your Great Mormon coloring page, you can choose to color a simple and powerful boy butterfly, or a colorful and fancy girl butterfly. Pick the one you like best!

• If you color a boy:
  • Color the whole wing evenly with a dark black or smoky gray. Adding a soft blue shine to the back wings will make it look super cool!
• If you color a girl:
  • Use black as your main color, and clearly color the white, red, and pink spots on the back wings. If you blend the edges around the spots, it will look just like a real butterfly!
  • Using a darker red or bright orange-red for the red spots will make them stand out and show off the girl butterfly's power.

Coloring Tips: Smooth Black and Beautiful Spots!

• Making Black Look Great: Boy wings do not shine very much. Press down with even strength using your colored pencil to get a smooth black color.
• Making It Look 3D: Use a dark color at the base of the wing (close to the body), and use a lighter color toward the wing tips. This makes the wings look 3D!

Tips to Enjoy Your Coloring Page!

• Color However You Like!
• You do not have to use real colors. You can color it any way you want! Wouldn't it be cool to see a rainbow boy or a polka-dot girl? Making your very own original butterfly is so much fun!
• Draw a Background!
• Where is your Great Mormon flying? If you draw mandarin orange tree leaves or summer hibiscus flowers, your picture will come to life!