mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2025-02-22 07:34 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote2025-02-22 07:34 pm
Saturday, Feb 15: Arizona Trip Part 3, Butterfly Wonderland
On Saturday we opted out of the group hike, since my mom wasn't sure her foot would be able to handle it. She felt okay to walk, just on easier terrain.
We picked two attractions along the Arizona Boardwalk. The first one was Butterfly Wonderland.
I'm very familiar with the Butterfly Pavilion here in Colorado, having interned there for a year. This place was similar, but also had some definite differences.
The biggest difference was that the Butterfly Pavilion is specifically an invertebrate zoo. They have sections devoted to non-butterfly insects and arachnids, plus the water section devoted to invertebrates of the ocean. There are a couple fish in the ocean section (something my internship supervisor was very opposed to, lol, but she was overruled because kids love to see Nemo and Dory, lol), and there's a dove that lives in the conservatory (having been "donated" years and years ago, so he gets to live his life out there) but for the most part there are no vertebrates.
Butterfly Wonderland bills itself as "A Rainforest Experience," so they do have vertebrates of various types as well.
But time for the butterflies!
I was very taken with how shiny the blue on this guy was! He looks like a holographic sticker.
When you match your meal.
Chrysalis boards, my beloved!
Not pictured here, but they had a BUNCH of big moth chrysalises. We didn't see any atlas moths while we were here, but they will have a bunch at some point, and I am so jealous. (Most of the big moths are short-lived as adults, the types that can't even eat, so at the Colorado Butterfly Pavilion we wouldn't get very many, but it was always so cool when we had any emerge! I love them.)
Stripey.
I love the blue and purple gradients on these guys when you catch them at the right angle!
Green butterfly, green leaves.
So bright!
This guy was pretty.
A couple of birdwings trying to make more birdwings! (Though like at Butterfly Pavilion, there are no host plants in the conservatory, so they won't actually succeed.)
Taylor had a morpho land on their neck!
Butterfly Wonderland had a lot of morphos. They're beautiful, so I always love to see them. They are some of the least cooperative for pictures, though. They never want to sit with their wings open!
I finally caught this one with wings open!
And now for the not butterflies!
There's a koi pond in the butterfly conservatory!
A beautiful bird just inside the entrance. A spangled cotinga, apparently!
A few more koi.
(I love koi, and so does Alex. I got him a pair of plush koi from the gift shop here as a belated Valentine's present.)
They had an area mostly devoted to reptiles and amphibians:
A loooooong snake.
This guy was really dramatic looking.
This frog was in a habitat that had a "habitat under construction" sign, so I almost missed him! A kid walked past and insisted there was a frog in there, and I was glad she made me take a second look! He was adorable and I love him.
There was a small section with various other arthropods.
I love giant millipedes.
That little room led to their ocean room.
Taylor wasn't feeling well - had some acid reflux - so they took a seat near the cafe area while we finished walking around. Mom and I took a quick circuit through the ocean room, but knowing that we had the aquarium ahead of us, and not wanting to leave Taylor alone when feeling sick, we didn't linger for too long.
I did like this bizarre little dude.
After this, we sat outside by the carousel for a while to let Taylor have a break. Fortunately they started feeling better, and we were able to head to the aquarium after a little bit.
We picked two attractions along the Arizona Boardwalk. The first one was Butterfly Wonderland.
I'm very familiar with the Butterfly Pavilion here in Colorado, having interned there for a year. This place was similar, but also had some definite differences.
The biggest difference was that the Butterfly Pavilion is specifically an invertebrate zoo. They have sections devoted to non-butterfly insects and arachnids, plus the water section devoted to invertebrates of the ocean. There are a couple fish in the ocean section (something my internship supervisor was very opposed to, lol, but she was overruled because kids love to see Nemo and Dory, lol), and there's a dove that lives in the conservatory (having been "donated" years and years ago, so he gets to live his life out there) but for the most part there are no vertebrates.
Butterfly Wonderland bills itself as "A Rainforest Experience," so they do have vertebrates of various types as well.
But time for the butterflies!
I was very taken with how shiny the blue on this guy was! He looks like a holographic sticker.
When you match your meal.
Chrysalis boards, my beloved!
Not pictured here, but they had a BUNCH of big moth chrysalises. We didn't see any atlas moths while we were here, but they will have a bunch at some point, and I am so jealous. (Most of the big moths are short-lived as adults, the types that can't even eat, so at the Colorado Butterfly Pavilion we wouldn't get very many, but it was always so cool when we had any emerge! I love them.)
Stripey.
I love the blue and purple gradients on these guys when you catch them at the right angle!
Green butterfly, green leaves.
So bright!
This guy was pretty.
A couple of birdwings trying to make more birdwings! (Though like at Butterfly Pavilion, there are no host plants in the conservatory, so they won't actually succeed.)
Taylor had a morpho land on their neck!
Butterfly Wonderland had a lot of morphos. They're beautiful, so I always love to see them. They are some of the least cooperative for pictures, though. They never want to sit with their wings open!
I finally caught this one with wings open!
And now for the not butterflies!
There's a koi pond in the butterfly conservatory!
A beautiful bird just inside the entrance. A spangled cotinga, apparently!
A few more koi.
(I love koi, and so does Alex. I got him a pair of plush koi from the gift shop here as a belated Valentine's present.)
They had an area mostly devoted to reptiles and amphibians:
A loooooong snake.
This guy was really dramatic looking.
This frog was in a habitat that had a "habitat under construction" sign, so I almost missed him! A kid walked past and insisted there was a frog in there, and I was glad she made me take a second look! He was adorable and I love him.
There was a small section with various other arthropods.
I love giant millipedes.
That little room led to their ocean room.
Taylor wasn't feeling well - had some acid reflux - so they took a seat near the cafe area while we finished walking around. Mom and I took a quick circuit through the ocean room, but knowing that we had the aquarium ahead of us, and not wanting to leave Taylor alone when feeling sick, we didn't linger for too long.
I did like this bizarre little dude.
After this, we sat outside by the carousel for a while to let Taylor have a break. Fortunately they started feeling better, and we were able to head to the aquarium after a little bit.