Here is a pair of checkered swallowtails mating near Friar’s Bay. This species is originally from Asia and their caterpillars feed on citrus trees (it’s also known as the Lime Butterfly and many other combinations of Lime/Lemon/Citrus and Swallowtail/Butterfly). The first recorded observation of this species in the Caribbean was in the Dominican Republic in 2004, and it spread quickly to other islands, including St. Martin.
Here, the primary host plant for caterpillars seems to be the Mutton Lemon, a shrub from the citrus family that is often used in landscaping, but can also be found growing in the wild. In this photo, the swallowtails are resting on one of these bushes.
