The butterflies are baaaack.
All cities tend to have a little edge to them and Kingston is no different. Some things though help to soften out those edges. Friendly greetings from strangers. Hearing people singing without a care in the world as they walk down the street. Lignum vitae butterflies, proper scientific name krigonia lyside. This commonly seen butterfly is a pale yellow (see video above) and quite unremarkable, except that they sometimes it isn’t. The females will deposit her fertilised eggs in the lignum vitae trees so that the caterpillars will have a ready source of food when they transform. When the lignum vitae trees bloom their delicate purplish blue buds, you can get magnificent swarms of the butterflies. With their wings opening and closing in the sunlight, they look like flashing neon lights beaming on the trees. Or like twinkling magical fairies casting spells.
They are beautiful.
And by the way, on any tour with Jamaica Cultural Enterprises you can expect to learn about our wonderful birds, flowers, bugs, and other life forms.
Bless.
