Papilio Blumei Swaallowtail Genuine Butterfly Decorative Dome

Sulawesi sits in the deep crease of the Indonesian archipelago, isolated enough to evolve things that exist nowhere else on earth. Papilio blumei is one of them, and once you see those wings you understand why entomologists have been losing their minds over this island for two centuries.

The colouring defies easy description, black dusted with an iridescent green-blue that shifts depending on the light and the angle, structural colour produced by microscopic wing architecture rather than pigment. It's the kind of thing that makes you understand why Victorian naturalists were also, frequently, obsessed with the gothic and the sublime. It's natural history as altar piece.

Genuine preserved Papilio blumei specimen displayed under a glass decorative dome. Sourced from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Dome dimensions vary by specimen. Contact us for current sizing details.