Something that we rarely see in our small village in Abruzzo are glorious Swallowtail Butterflies. In Italian they’re called il macaone and there are supposed to be 9 varieties across the country.
I’ve put their absence down to the caterpillars loving fennel & carrot and my neighbours being exemplary debuggers on their orto and smallholdings; perhaps the recent heatwave has meant their energy downtime has given a welcome lease of life to these gentle Swallowtails flitting through the high meadowland around Bascianella. Now to find out where all the Hummingbird Moths have gone to which are normally plentiful but this year I haven’t seen one.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
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