November at Butterfly Wonderland

Last month, Denis and I visited one of our favorite places, Butterfly Wonderland, and now I've finally put together a post about it. Let's get started!

There's a small area just before the conservatory where you can watch butterflies "hatching" and drying out their wings.

Entering the conservatory. Just put my white-haired head in some strong sunlight, and the butterflies flock to me.

They seemed to prefer Denis's hat and back.

At one point, I had one on each leg, two on my back, three on my hand, and three in my hair. People were sitting on a bench watching the butterflies on me.

This one liked my sunglasses. Two people asked if they could photograph my head with all the butterflies on it! LOL

You definitely had to watch your step!

The highlight of the afternoon caused a queue to form. This woman was just ahead of me in line.

This is the first time Denis and I have been here that this butterfly has posed with its wings outstretched. Isn't it gorgeous?

This little boy loved the butterflies. Dad's looking to see what kind this one is.

I thought this one was fake until I touched the stem it was on and it flew away. See the "18" on its wing? That's why I thought it was fake.

This helpful one wanted to make identification as easy as possible.

Had to stop by the reptile house to see if the chameleons were out. This toothy guy looked like he wished there wasn't any glass between us.

This was outside Butterfly Wonderland. I just liked the look of him.

Why do I have this urge to watch King Kong?

 

It's always tough, deciding which photos to share, but I love sharing my favorite places with you all. I hope you enjoyed your visit. We'll be going back to the Musical Instrument Museum on Wednesday!

An April Stroll through Butterfly Wonderland

It had been much too long since Denis and I had visited Butterfly Wonderland, so-- being fully vaccinated, having checked their safety measures, and knowing that most of the snowbirds have returned home-- we booked our tickets and headed to the far east side of the Valley for our visit. 

 

It was a beautiful day, and it was fantastic being amidst all the butterflies and flowers. Let me share some of the photos I took while we were there. I'll share one of Denis's, too, and it will be easy to see why I didn't take it myself.

 

 

Butterfly Wonderland also has a small aquarium and reptile exhibit. I was hoping to see the chameleons, but they were gone. Instead, I watched the little poisoned frogs for awhile. I liked how this blue and black dart frog's tiny toes look like hearts.

 

Malachite butterfly

I enjoy the flowers every bit as much as the butterflies.

The butterfly with its wings spread out is a Gray Cracker.

Sometimes I think butterflies encourage us to plant unusual and beautiful flowers, don't you? 

I enjoyed watching this little boy. He had his identification card and was determined to find a living example of each and every butterfly on it.

The show stopper butterfly tends to be this Blue Morpho because of its brilliant coloring. You'll seldom see one in this position, however. Normally it's at rest with its wings closed.

Postman butterfly

Battered and tattered

A Black and Tan Page butterfly

White Peacock butterfly

Paper Kite butterfly

This always reminds me of the bottle brush tree I used to have in the backyard.

Several species of butterfly are attracted to white hair. Ask me how I know this.

There's something peaceful and fulfilling about being amongst sunshine, flowers, and butterflies. Denis and I certainly enjoyed our outing, and I hope you did, too.

Wings and Blooms at Butterfly Wonderland

Last week, after an aborted attempt to visit the Desert Botanical Garden (we'll try again this week), Denis and I drove out to the eastern fringes of Scottsdale to Butterfly Wonderland and had a fantastic time. I  thought I'd share a few of our photos with you. (Each of us took about 150, so this is a few!)

I found myself appreciating the desert landscaping outside.

The flowering climbing vines up the columns, too!

Before you enter the conservatory, you can watch new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. (db)

Inside the conservatory. Listed as a "rainforest experience," do not enter if high humidity is your enemy! (db)

There's even a koi pond and waterfall. (db)

One of their favorite places on me to rest was my collar. (db)

There are also tiny birds and small chickens in the conservatory. (db)

As you can see, bowls of sliced fruit in the sun are wildly popular. (db)

Color coordinated! (db)

Their Very Hungry Caterpillar celebration is popular with children.

Orchids

This malachite butterfly liked the camouflage of bamboo.

You never know where you'll see a butterfly.

Some succulents love high humidity and misting systems.

Those orange-spotted butterflies are so striking. They're called Catonephele.

You never know what's going to be keeping an eye on you-- like this little tree frog!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Butterfly Wonderland!