Random Roadtrip ~ Butterfly Pavilion

As we sort out things - boxes and boxes of 'stuff' for a humongous yard sale and what to do with ourselves in the coming months, I needed  'filler'  for this blog. So I decided to take everyone on some RANDOM ROAD-TRIPS! 'Cause isn't Summer about road trips?

Remember those trips from your childhood? Everyone piled into the car and the kids always wondering when they'd be there? Anxiously awaiting the next stop so everyone could get out, stretch their legs, explore and take a much needed 'potty break'. Oh, what fun!

Praying Mantis outside Butterfly Pavilion

So to begin, our first road-trip will be to the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. This road-trip took place the end of March with two of my Grand-daughters.

The Butterfly Pavilion is the first stand-alone invertebrate zoo in the U.S. and it is home to over 5,000 animals. Most of which are bugs and butterflies.

We didn't stay long in the Crawl-A-See-Em, where the bugs are housed. The girls weren't too interested in seeing the creepy-crawlies and they didn't want to hold Rosie, the tarantula. So we moved on to other exhibits. 

The Butterfly Pavilion is home to more than 1,600 live butterflies and over 200 plant species from around the world. They purchase 600-1000 butterfly chrysalids each week from butterfly farms located around the world, contributing over $80,000 annually to sustainable farming operations in endangered ecosystems.

It was so fun to be in the tropical area with the butterflies. Especially on a cool March day. The butterflies were fluttering everywhere and would often land on people. There are double doors for entry into the butterfly exhibit to ensure that no 'hitchhikers' try to escape outside. 

In addition to the bugs and butterflies, there is also a marine animal exhibit where people can touch a starfish, horseshoe crab and other marine invertebrates. And a great play area for the kids.

A half mile nature trail loop is located outside. But we didn't venture down that path, the plants were still dormant and the wind was blowing. Guess we'll have to take another road trip!

Insects and 3D Embroidery

The art of Claire Moynihan

I know! I know! This isn't an insect but the little snail is still really cool!

My Very Own Fairy Grandchild!

My Daughter lives in Missouri and recently sent me these pics of a very special Fairy Butterfly she found flitting about in the yard. Isn't she just the cutest!?

January

January! Where would we Gardeners be without this month? I know, it's cold and dreary outside. The Holidays are over. The company has gone home. And how we long for those funny, sunny days of Spring!


And ALL those Plant and Seed catalogs we've been getting sure don't help the matter any!

They're such a tease! A taunt, if you will. Luring us into the depths of a gardener's would-be paradise! And I am as guilty as the rest. I look at those catalogs and dream about how my gardens would look with all those lovely flowers!

Imagining those luscious strawberries just waiting to be picked....



Smelling the fragrant perfume of the rose bush by the Garden Shed....



Seeing the butterflies and bees busy about their daily business amid the blossoms and blooms....



But we need this time to plan and sketch. And to dream. And then plan some more.

My gardens always start out with a grand design. (Whose wouldn't after looking at all those catalogs!) But they evolve over time. Usually for a much simpler, lower maintenance plan.

But that doesn't stop me from reading about and dreaming about all those wonderful plants that just won't grow here! And maybe thinking about getting just one more exotic plant for the Courtyard 'cause I know I can squeeze it into the greenhouse for the winter!



My plans this year aren't so much to add flowers, but to rearrange the ones I've already got. Shade envelopes more of a flower bed, as trees grow and their canopies enlarge. Some plants have outgrown their corner and are beginning to bully their neighbors. Others just don't like the neighborhood they're in. But I'm sure, I'll probably be able to find room for maybe one or two new acquisitions.

I must go now and look at the latest catalogs that came in today's mail!

I'll keep you posted on my finds ....