Entering the Pavilion
I have been wanting to visit the Butterfly Pavilion for a while, and decided at the last minute to go. It's in an.... interesting location. The main parking lot was full, and so I have parked my car in a nearby lot, which apparently is for "overflow" parking. I'm a little nervous to go in, assuming that it is very busy since the parking lot is full. I grab my camera off of the passenger seat, cross a road, and walk toward the building.
There are a bunch of parents with tiny humans walking into the building as I approach. I realize I might look silly going into the pavilion by myself with just my camera, but figure I'm most likely not the first person to do this.
I walk in, and this friendly lady exchanges my money for an admission ticket and tells me there will be a release of new butterflies in about five minutes. That sounds exciting! I rush off to the part of the building with the butterflies called the "Wings of the Tropics".
Wings of the Tropics
I walk through the sets of doors to get into the Wings of the Tropics and am hit with warmth and humidity. It's honestly very welcome to my skin which is used to such things from growing up on the Mighty Mississippi. The exhibit is beautifully set up with tropical plants, foot paths, and the butterflies are everywhere! There is a case off to my right, and I walk over to inspect it to find that it holds cocoons, some of which are hatching!
Venturing down the footpath a bit, the first butterfly I spot is an Owl Butterfly. The wings of the butterfly resemble the face of an owl, hence the name. It will forever amaze me how intelligent evolution and nature is in general to come up with such clever designs and camouflage.
The footpath leads me to a canopied tunnel that includes all sorts of beautiful flowers, including Angel's Trumpets. Going around the bend through the tunnel there is this little pond which is home to koi fish and a yellow-bellied slider turtle.
There are a lot of butterflies flying way above me. I only brought my standard lens so I have to stick to photographing the butterflies that land somewhat near me, and make a mental note to myself to bring a longer lens with me next time.
One of the employees comes to tell me that the butterflies are about to be released. During the release, the keeper teaches everyone a few things about butterflies:
1. Butterfly wings are like human hair. If damaged, it doesn't harm the butterfly in a physical way, but of course it can affect the way the butterflies fly.
2. The Pavilion keeps puddles on the floor so that the butterflies who can't fly well yet can land on the ground and drink water to gain strength.
After the demonstration and the release of butterflies, I continue on my little walk. I discover a bright green butterfly. It's stunning. I may be a little biased because my favorite color is green, but I decide the Green Birdwing Butterfly is my favorite. The beautiful green details on its wings stand out against the black of its body and remainder of the wings.
Water's Edge
Leaving "Wings of the Tropics" puts me in the "Water's Edge" room. I walked through this before to get into Wings, but I take a quick look around. There are a lot of kids here today, and there are a lot of touch pools, and as to not be in the kids' way of learning, I just look around quickly and then move on.
Crawl-A-See-Um
Venturing into the next room, I see a lot of little exhibits sitting on top of pillars. I walk over to one, and when I see what is inside fear caused by phobia starts to arise. I do not like this room at all. As I peak into the small exhibits, I realize it is mostly spiders. Having done zero homework before coming, I wasn't expecting to see so many spiders, and it kind of ruins my mood. I leave the Butterfly Pavilion for the day. I will be better prepared next time.
