Sunday, September 30, 2012

Butterfly House, Part One


Finally settling into the new digs just outside of St Louis, Missouri. 
There are so many things to do here, especially if you enjoy
outdoor activities like hiking, birding, and gardening.


So far, I've only been on the tram ride through the Missouri Botanical Gardens
(MOBOT), so that is a future adventure and blog post.
The image above is of some Chihuly glass in the gardens.

The MOBOT also owns and operates the
Sophia M Sachs Butterfly House attraction.
 While visiting the Butterfly House,
I snapped the images below to share with you.

Entry garden area,
"Mysterious Monarch" sculpture by artist Bob Cassilly
"Lopatapillar", artist Bob Cassilly

"Cockroach Encounter" in the Grand Hall
Flower Beetle from Africa, in the Grand Hall













From the entry area to the Grand Hall,
then travel into the Tropical Conservatory.

 
There are nearly 2,000 butterflies in free flight. 
They fly singly, in pairs and in groups, similar and dissimilar. 
As they do so, they flutter past you, 
leaving behind the slightest whisper of air movement.
It is difficult to capture images of the 80 species of butterflies on exhibit, 
but patience is rewarded in small doses.



     



Near the exit from the Conservatory is the "Miracle of Metamorphosis".
Below are some of the mounted chrysalids, 
and the beautiful creatures that emerged.















Spider on sign


This seat beckons one to take a moment to soak in the beauty here.
One butterfly at a time.

Stay tuned for Butterfly House, Part Two, 
featuring the tropical plants in the Tropical Conservatory.

~Aerie-el



4 comments:

  1. Great post! Did you ever visit the Butterfly House at the Pacific Science Center when you lived here? It was amazing. Looking forward to Part Two, and to your future post on MOBOT. Their website has been a great source of info on plants for me for years.

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  2. I am just green with envy! Next time we are in St. Louis, MOBOT is going to be my primary focus!

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  3. Hi Kit,

    It seems that while the Pacific Northwest has a thriving bee population, butterflies have always been in short supply. Right now there is a Painted Lady fluttering around and I saw a few Swallowtails this summer but that's about it. I wonder why this is. Too wet maybe?

    I bet you had a wonderful time here with all these unique and gorgeous specimens. Great photos, except the cockroaches. Ick! :)

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  4. I spent the last three years reshaping my garden to support butterfly's. Your photos are amazing. Thank you for posting

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