Storm, Sardines, and a Christmas Butterfly
It’s a cold weekend. A strong anticyclone is causing very windy and chilly weather over the Mascarenes. The carabiners attached to my sun shade keep banging against the wall, making sharp squeaky sounds. It’s always windy here, but this time the wind is truly fierce — a mean speed of 45 km/hr with gusts reaching around 90 km/hr. I hope the storm calms down soon, because I need to take Cross to see Dr. Umika on Monday.
I think I made a mistake by changing his fish. Cross loves sardines more than tuna, but it seems he might be allergic to sardines. I noticed the wound about a week after switching from tuna to sardines. I’ve already stopped feeding him sardines, but the damage is done. I really hope Dr. Umika can confirm whether sardines were the culprit and give Cross the right remedy so he can recover quickly.
I found a butterfly 🦋 on my lemon tree. After checking online, I realized why it was hiding on the stem — it’s a Citrus Swallowtail, also known as the Christmas butterfly. I rarely see colorful butterflies here; mostly moths and their caterpillars. But both butterflies and moths are considered pests, especially when my lemon tree is still young.
Fun Facts About the Christmas Butterfly
- The Christmas butterfly is actually the Citrus Swallowtail, one of the largest and most common swallowtails in tropical regions.
- Its caterpillars mimic bird droppings when young — a clever disguise to avoid predators.
- Adults often hide on stems or under leaves during storms to protect their delicate wings.
- Despite being beautiful, they are considered pests because their caterpillars feed on citrus leaves, especially young trees.
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