It's a hot Sydney afternoon as I sit at my desk looking out onto my balcony and across to the hazy parklands of The Domain.
Like most people around the world I am streaming the latest news on the containment of the radioactive leaks at the Fukushima reactors in Japan.
It's all too frightening to comprehend.
This morning a psychologist was on the radio warning of the dangers of post traumatic stress disorders among those following the tragedy.
He said after the Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi, the Christchurch earthquake and now the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Japan, most of us simply don't have the coping mechanisms to process the 24-hour images we're being bombarded with.
And then.... like a sign from above... a beautiful butterfly flutters into sight!
This is the first time I've ever seen a butterfly like this on my 13th floor balcony garden.
It's easily the size of the palm of my hand ... velvety black and white with vivid red and blue spots.
She seems to like the Dwarf Meyer lemon tree.
I'm immediately bouyed by her playful presence and pretty markings.
Can anyone identify my little friend?
I'm no expert, but it looks like a Dainty Swallowtail Butterfly. The link I found even mentions a preference for citrus trees.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.climatewatch.org.au/species/insects/dainty-swallowtail-butterfly#group-what
thanks aunty-del,
ReplyDeleteyou are right. it is a swallowtail. Reading that it likes citrus trees I inspected the leaves of my dwarf meyer lemon tree this morning and discovered a clutch of tiny yellow eggs. That's what she was doing!Sadly I had to destroy them or the emerging caterpillars would have destroyed my tree!
Indira
Hi Indira, would like to know how large are the pots you grow your plants in? thanks for the wonderful book you have created, looking forward to the next one. CPSA love it!!!
ReplyDelete