Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) Coloring Pages

You can meet them anywhere in Japan! A familiar butterfly in gardens and parks

Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) is one of the most common butterflies in Japan and belongs to the Swallowtail butterfly family. You can see it all around you in places like parks, gardens, and fields.

English Name and How It Got Its Name

The English name for the Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) is often "Swallowtail," or it is called "Papilio xuthus" using part of its scientific name. More precisely, it is also called "Asian Swallowtail" or "Common Yellow Swallowtail."

• Swallowtail means a swallow's tail. People gave it this name because the tail-like parts on the back wings of the Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) look like the tail of a swallow.
• The Japanese word Nami means ordinary. People named it this because the Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) is common and you can find it everywhere.

This is one of Japan's best-known butterflies, and people have loved it for a long time.

Size and Appearance

The Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) is a relatively large butterfly among Japanese butterflies.

• When it opens its wings, it is about 9 to 11 centimeters wide. That is as big as a large palm!
• The main color of the wings is bright yellow to pale yellow. They have a pattern like a thick black band along the edges.
• The edges of the back wings are very colorful, with blue and red eyespots and small orange spots.
• The tail-like parts that look like a swallow's tail are slightly rounded at the tips and have a graceful shape.

It flies gracefully, fluttering softly through the air.

Where do they live?

The Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) lives in almost every part of Japan.

• Main habitats: They live across a wide area, from Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu all the way to the Southwest Islands (like Okinawa). However, you will not see them as much in a few areas, like the coldest northern parts of Hokkaido.
• Where they live: They mostly live in places close to people, from flat lands to low mountains, such as parks, gardens, farms, and riverbanks.

The plants the caterpillars eat (food plants) are familiar ones like satsumas, yuzu, and Japanese pepper trees, so you can often see them in cities too.

What does it eat?

• Adults mainly drink flower nectar. They especially like to gather at flowers with sweet nectar, such as azaleas, thistles, and harlequin glorybowers.
• Caterpillars eat the leaves of citrus family plants. Specifically, they munch away and grow big on leaves from orange trees, yuzu, lemons, and Japanese pepper plants.

How to Choose Colors: Think About the Yellow and Black Contrast!

The Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) has a cool pattern of bright yellow and dark black. If you make this contrast (putting opposite colors together) clear, your coloring page will look super bright!

• Main Base Color: Color the big parts of the wings smoothly and carefully with bright yellow or lemon yellow. The trick is to tilt your colored pencil slightly and color evenly.
• Black Patterns: Color the thick black bands on the edges of the wings with a solid dark black. Coloring this black nice and dark makes the yellow next to it look even brighter!
• Colorful Patterns: The eye spots on the back wings have blue, red, and a black dot from the outside. Don't forget the tiny orange spots to make it look just like a real one!

How to Color the Patterns: Soft and Gentle Shades!

The Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) has clear wing patterns, but giving it a soft look makes it look really elegant!

• Showing Light: Leave some white spots or use light yellow where the light hits the yellow wings. This makes your butterfly look 3D!
• Swallow Tails: Color the little tails on the back wings with solid black. Mix in a little blue or yellow to make them look shiny!
• Body Color: Color the body black, then layer a little yellow on top. This gives it a soft, fuzzy feel!

Tips for Enjoying Your Coloring Page!

• Color It Your Way!
  • Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) colors can change with the seasons (summer butterflies are darker, and spring butterflies are lighter). You do not have to copy real life! Color it any way you want and ask yourself, "What if a butterfly looked like this?" Have fun and color freely!
• Draw a Background!
  • The Asian Swallowtail (Swallowtail Butterfly) loves to drink flower nectar. Try drawing big azalea flowers, sunflowers, a blue sky with white clouds, or a mandarin orange tree in the background to make your picture come to life!