A MOTH & A BUTTERFLY

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

12/X/2025

It was a watering day. The garden looked a little parched. It had been three days since the plants were thirsty. This year, I shall be very careful as we lost so many plants by serving them more water than they could drink.

As I sprinkled the first row of pots, a small insect fluttered off from the bushy plant and almost sat on my nose. It appeared to be a kind of butterfly but was too small. It must be a moth I thought, as it buzzed past and went and sat on the car. I left it there to take a photo later, if it stayed there, till one completed the watering task.

She hadn’t moved. I thanked her and rushed to get my camera to freeze that moment. A few clicks and she was ‘captured’ in the ‘memory card’. As I sat to download the photos, I was taken aback to find all the photos were blurred. I had not focussed on the subject properly due to the excitement.

An hour and a half had passed since. Finding it at the same place was a 50-50 chance. I carried my mobile, just in case I was lucky again and I was.

Her colours just took my breath away. She was tiny, not even a centimetre in size. The pink/magenta with pale/golden markings on its wings were too beautiful to resist. This moth appeared to be in a resting posture. I wanted to tell her to fly away as there were so many ‘shikaris’ on the prowl.

A little search on the net gave me her name. She is called the “Mint Moth”. As I recalled, she was concealed inside the ‘Mexican mint’ plant I was watering which caused her to flee to avoid getting wet. Was she hiding, resting, or laying eggs, I am not sure.

What caught my attention was the following. The bright magenta and gold pattern serve as a warning coloration to others, making it one of the most vivid small moths. It is active both during day and night, which is rare for moths. Despite its striking colours, it is harmless and beneficial, as its larvae feed on herbs, keeping plant growth in check. Thank you mint moth.

In the evening, it was time to attend to the rooftop garden. As I bent to pick up the water hose to top up our water lily tubs, a butterfly fluttered out of the ‘water hyacinth’ plant. This is a ‘white water hyacinth’ and not the traditional purple one.

I let it flitter around and thought to myself, that today it is a moth and butterfly day. My camera was handy but this girl was agitated and roving. I stood still for it to settle down to take a photo.

Then finally, she settled down on an Adenium plant. It went and hid itself in its foliage. Luckily, I had followed her with my eyes or else one could have lost her within the leaves.

These days there are a lot of butterflies visiting our garden. They are laying eggs and many caterpillars are on the prowl chomping away on leaves. One lone pupa is still intact and we are waiting for the butterfly to emerge.

This ‘yellowish-greenish’ lady is called the “Common Emigrant Butterfly”. Emigrant because of its nomadic nature. Its distinct feature was printed on its wings. They appeared to be burnt holes because of the brownish spots scattered over her wings. This must be some kind of camouflage for it to blend with the surroundings.

With no intention to startle her anymore, I left her to rest for the long night ahead. I waited patiently for her to spread her wings, but it seems she was fast asleep already. Or, she had become still to avoid detection, is food for thought.

It is by chance that you come across such lovelies like the Mint Moth and the Emigrant Butterfly on the same day.

Will I meet them again tomorrow? I wonder!!!!!!