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!