Victoria's Butterfly Gardens, Part 2: Blue Morpho and More! (+9 insets)

(+9 insets!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Pictures" for image information)

Trip Talk: Victoria Butterfly Gardens...the Main Exhibit!

Steve ended up pulling me out of the Insectarium by my ear because I was totally entranced by all of the unusual critters! Still dazed, I went through the next set of doors into the main exhibit and stopped in my tracks. Listed as being the size of three basketball courts, this indoor jungle was also at least two stories tall and filled with sky lights to add illumination. I didn't realize how tropical and lush this place would be! Everywhere I looked there were plants and vines, flowers and thick, leafy undergrowth.

And there were butterflies…everywhere! Flying around, resting on plants and feeding at the various fruit and nectar stations, you couldn't miss them! Steve and I immediately lost ourselves behind our cameras as we focused in on one subject after another.

We read there were up to 70 species of butterflies on display at all times and we were dazzled by all of the different colors and combinations, sizes and activity levels of the countless "flying flowers". Next to the entrance was a small building which housed rows of cocoons and picture of some of the species. However, apparently they gave up trying to keep track because there were images for only some of the butterflies that we saw.

There was a cement path that meandered around the entire enclosure, crossing over bridges and tucking into nooks and crannies. A map showed the many highlights that you could visit—various butterfly feeding stations, the "emerging window" that I shared pictures of yesterday, a caterpillar viewing area, but there was so much more to see than just butterflies! A pair of flamingoes, tortoises and turtles, a dart frog exhibit (which I didn't notice, boo!), a pair of macaws and many free-flying birds of various sizes and types. The plants and accompanying flowers growing there could be their own attraction—I couldn't begin to count the vast number of tropical species from around the world which thrived everywhere I turned. In one area of the path they even had a host of carnivorous pitcher plants which hung down from many vines. I was totally enchanted!

Today's Pictures
My main picture today shows the closed wing formation of a Blue Morpho butterfly! It's hard to believe that the other side of these wings are a dazzling metallic blue! These incredible beauties are among the largest species in the world with wings that stretch from between five and eight inches wide. I was surprised to learn that there are actually 29 different species and 147 subspecies which are found in the Americas as far north as Mexico. When Steve and I visited Costa Rica many years ago, we visited the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens and saw Blue Morphos for the first time. There were many other butterflies there but the Blue Morphos stole the show with their amazing size and gleaming color.

Inset 1: This is a cropped close-up portrait of the previous Blue Morpho image.

Inset 2: Closer still, the wonderful scales of a butterfly's wings is remarkable to see!

Inset 3: I tried to get some good pictures of open-winged Blue Morphos but they were too active and skittish, or else they were too far away. This bedraggled beauty was definitely in its twilight hours as it sat exhausted on the ground but I was happy to immortalize it in a picture and delighted to share it with all of you! :)

Inset 4: A pair of very content flamingos make their home at the Gardens and reminded me of the trip we took to a bird sanctuary in Camargue, France when we went to Provence a couple of years ago. Someday I'll post some pictures but this pair of flamingoes do the job quite nicely for now! :)

Inset 5: All around the Gardens were bushes bristling with beautiful "red boas" and I discovered they are aptly called Chenille Plants. Chenille is French for caterpillar and it's also a type of velvety yarn. A perfect name for this lovely tropical bush, and I couldn't get enough of them! If you're wondering, they are just as soft as they look and I probably looked like a weirdo because I kept petting the flowers! :D

Inset 6: The lovely plants were everywhere, including this colorful Croton. What a beautiful leaf!

Inset 7: This is a pitcher plant, which hung down from vines that streamed all over one part of the Garden's path. Did you know there are over 170 species of these fascinating carnivores? Most are found in the tropics but there are some that grow here in Oregon! (Here are pictures from my visit to Darlingtonia State Natural Site …clicking on a picture opens the gallery.)

Inset 8: This is another picture of a pitcher plant with a lovely russet tone. (The "tail" I pointed out is actually the cap to the pitcher that's folded back...but all I can see is a tail! :D)

Inset 9: Finally, here's a group of pitcher plants hanging down, aren't they cool?! :)

Pam, have you gotten the chance to see a Blue Morpho butterfly when you've been to a butterfly garden? They really are completely breathtaking. When we saw them at an exhibit in Costa Rica, we just about fell over because there were so many of them! They landed on us and slowly opened and closed their wings, crawling around. Exhilarating! Here's hoping you are having a good day--it's starting to get frosty on some mornings, SO COLD! Then the sun warms everything up and by the afternoon it's hot if you're standing still in the sun! CRAZY!

Explored on 10/29/19; highest placement #1.