Victoria's Butterfly Gardens, Part 3: Lovely Butterflies and More! (+9 insets)

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

Trip Talk: Victoria Butterfly Gardens...The Joy of Wandering Around an Artificial Jungle
How often have you gotten the chance to walk around a real jungle? I'm going to guess that it's not been too often! Steve and I are pretty lucky in that regard. Together we've been to Costa Rica and Belize (with a short visit to Guatemala's Tikal Pyramid) and Hawaii's Maui too. The incredible diversity of flora and fauna is staggering, and I'd have to say that the Butterfly Gardens did a fantastic job filling every nook and cranny with plants.

One of the things that I really liked was the mix of plants and animals that didn't normally live together. Whenever I've seen displays of various plant locals or animals, the installation has always been as true to life as possible. But at the Butterfly Gardens, their concern only seemed to be what grew well in the warm, humid conditions there. Hibiscus and pitcher plants rubbed leaves with cactus and ficus! Orchids and daisies mixed happily with bromeliads and philodendrons! I enjoyed it all

I was delighted to learn that the larger animals that lived there were all rescues, which made it extra special. And it was obvious that everything was very happy and healthy there. The feeling in there was just wonderful. :)

Today's Pictures
The main image today shows a butterfly that I believe is called a Mimic Kite Swallowtail. Showing smokey black with pink and white accents on the outer wings, the inside featured gleaming black and red wings with white spots. Their juicy red and black bodies were so striking and I wished I'd been able to get more pictures of this beauty. However, this one turned out great and that's really all that I needed! :)

Inset 1: This is a lovely pair of Red Postman butterflies…can you believe I managed to capture one in flight?! WOOT! The background was busy enough that I spent some time to fade the background a bit with some added texture.

Inset 2: This beauty is a Red-Footed Tortoise, which is indigenous to South America. They can grow to be 16" long and can live 30 years or more.

Inset 3: This tortoise shell just screamed to be a close-up texture, so here it is!

Inset 4: A single blossom from the Thunbergia grandiflora, also commonly called Blue Sky Vine, Bengal Trumpet, Blue Trumpet Vine, Royal Clock Vine or Indian Sky Vine. Though I can't figure out what everything is, I've had fun trying to identify all the plants and animals I photographed. It's always so much more meaningful to know what it is you've got a picture of! This beauty is native to China, India, Nepal, Indochina and Burma and widely naturalized elsewhere.

Inset 5: I was amazed to discover these huge peace lilies with their towering flowers. I had no idea that some species grew to six feet tall! Another surprise was learning there are 40 different species!

Inset 6: A close-up of a peace lily's stalk and its white flower behind. In truth, the stalk is actually called a spadix, which is a type of blossom made up of many small flowers on a fleshy stem. The white "flower" behind isn't actually a flower at all! It's called a "spathe", a modified leaf known as a bract that forms a sheath around the spadix!

Inset 7: Another image of a peace lily's spadix. These flowers were named for the similarity of their white flowers (spathes) to the white flags of peace. Another interesting fact is that they aren't lilies at all and are instead a tropical perennial.

Inset 8: An Owl Butterfly resting on what I believe is a red pinecone ginger flower. And yes, they are edible--but it's the leaves you can eat--the red blossom can be gently squeezed and the liquid which comes out is used as a shampoo! Amazing!

Inset 9: On the large maps found around the main garden, this was aptly named the "Turtle Log." What fun to see all of these happy guys enjoying their safe resting spot! Thanks to Pam for the positive identification of these Red-Eared Terrapins! *high five*

Pam, have you ever counted the number of butterfly species you've photographed? I bet it's quite the total and I've always admired the number of different types you've gotten pictures of. I'm going to guess the number of wild species I've photographed is probably about a dozen or so. You have certainly been blessed with good luck and awesome patience to have captured so many varieties! :) Well, I'm hoping all is ok in your world…it's turned into an Indian summer here, though the mornings are frosty! *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON*!

Explored on 11/01/19; highest placement #7.