Butterfly on Husband’s Shirt. Photo by Natalie Keller.
By Natalie Keller
A rainforest experience
I wanted to take photos of the butterflies at the Butterfly Wonderland so I could use them for the November Scottsdale Artist’s League art show. I talked my husband into accompanying me and we spent two exciting hours there. I was so thrilled I couldn’t stop smiling…it was so much fun! The experience was very unique to be among such a multitude and variety of butterflies in a man-made rain forest. Butterflies were everywhere! Everyone had to be especially careful of their surroundings. Butterflies aren’t particular as to where they land; it may be on clothing, skin or foliage. One landed on my husband’s shirt and one on his trouser leg…but let me start from the beginning.
After paying for our tickets we proceeded to the foyer where we saw several displays. The first one I noticed was The Butterfly Emergence Gallery where you can see the life cycle and the metamorphosis of the butterflies. It was educational but I looked around and wondered where all the butterflies were hiding? An attendant called our attention to a theatre entrance and he explained that we could see a feature 3D film called the “Flight of the Butterfly”. There were numerous children in the audience and they became very excited when the butterflies seemingly flew into the audience. The film covered the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly and it was beautifully shown. If you don’t know a great deal about the Monarch you will be amazed at their life cycle and how they travel long distances. It isn’t mandatory to watch the film but it’s well worth the time! We really enjoyed it.
Children Watching Butterflies. Photo by Natalie Keller.
The theatre experience was great but we were anxious to see the butterflies. The door at the entrance to the conservatory had a sign explaining we had to wait until the attendant opened it before we could enter. The conservatory is very impressive, a 10,000 square foot glass atrium, the largest in the United States. The attendant gave us a few instructions before we entered, “do not touch the butterflies or try to catch them and watch where you step since they land on the walkways too”.
Butterflies Galore
The door opened and my first impression was WOW! Vivid, bright colorful butterflies were fluttering everywhere! There were dozens of photo opportunities! I loved how the children were so demonstrative and mesmerized. It’s a child’s paradise! As an adult, it’s fun to watch the children but I found myself getting as involved with all the activity. I loved the turquoise wings of one species…their bright color seemed to be fluttering everywhere. I never realized there were so many species or different size butterflies. In one of the brochures, it is advertised, “3000 friendly butterflies await your arrival”! The conservatory typically contains about 50 species at any one given time with approximately 25,000 in population. Butterflies only live about two weeks so it’s a continuous process adding new ones. It’s a spectacular site to see how many butterflies are in the atrium.
Butterflies in Emergence Gallery. Photo by Natalie Keller
In another brochure it is written, “butterflies are raised on butterfly farms from around the world. This form of sustainable agriculture helps protect natural forest habitats from destruction and promotes local economic growth.” I noticed there was a mist in the air similar to a rain forest inside the atrium. Leaves were moist and the foliage was abundant; the butterflies need the nectar from the plants for energy. The flowering plants along with the butterflies change often which makes each visit unique.
Tidbits about Butterflies
It was noted that Arizona has 334 different species of butterflies and we are only second to Texas…but then Texas is a bigger state! Our state butterfly is the Two-Tailed Swallowtail. I wondered if anyone ever saw one inside the atrium? It would be a real challenge to pick out the yellow and black Swallowtail among all of the other butterflies!
Facts recorded about butterflies:
- Butterflies taste with their feet.
- Planting a Butterfly Garden, a way station or a Monarch habitat helps attract butterflies to your yard. Milkweed attracts the Monarch butterfly but you have to plant the correct species of milkweed for it to grow in the desert and for the Monarch to lay eggs. There are 108 species of milkweed and the Monarch only likes and lays eggs on 30 of them. They also like sunflowers, asters, sweetbush and lantana in the lower deserts and rabbitbush, thistles, sunflowers, asters and goldenrod in the middle and high elevations.
- The top-flight speed of a butterfly is 12 miles per hour. Some moths can fly 25 miles per hour!
- Two favorite plants of the butterfly are Lantana (Lantana camara) and Penta (Pentas lanceolata).
Butterfly on Foliage. Photo by Natalie Keller.
The Butterfly Wonderland Foundation
The Butterfly Wonderland Foundation has been established to provide educational and research opportunities, as well as scholarship and internship programs. Their mission is “Creating an appreciation of nature through conservation and education of the butterflies and our rainforest.”
The Butterfly Wonderland offers School and group tours, private tours, birthday party packages, annual passes and informative workshops. In 2014 there were 45,000 children from 916 schools on school tours that met AZ State Standards and enhanced curriculum in the area of science. Donations to the foundation also paid admission for 4,186 children from 54 Title 1 schools this past year.
The Butterfly Wonderland Foundation has set up a special dedication called the “Wings of Remembrance” to honor a loved one. Donations from $500, $400, and $250 receive a large, medium or small acrylic butterfly in a color chosen by the donor. These Wings of Remembrance are displayed at the entrance of the Butterfly Wonderland. The butterfly can be displayed with a short message in honor of, dedicated to or in memory of for the loved one. This donation supports the non-profit 501©3 Butterfly Wonderland Foundation.
Group s of Butterflies on Foliage. Photo by Natalie Keller
Other interesting displays outside the atrium are a Live Ant Colony, an intricate Honey Bee Extravaganza, several aquariums of fish species called “Rivers of the Amazon and a pool where you can touch swimming Stingrays. A café and well-stocked colorful gift shop with butterfly treasures are also available but I lost my husband to the Stingray pool so I didn’t spend much time in either place!
What a wonderful way to spend a few hours and the proceeds go toward education, materials, supplies, workshops, outreach and volunteer programs. Don’t miss visiting another awesome adventure in Scottsdale, Arizona!
Location and Information
- 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256
- Open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Call for information: (480) 800-3000
- butterflywonderland.com
The Butterfly Wonderland Expo featuring artists painting from the Scottsdale Artists League
Show and Sale days: Friday and Saturday
November 27 – 28, 2015
10am to 5pm
Thanks to the Butterfly Wonderland informational brochures for the statistics and detailed information on the Conservatory and the Foundation. Photos taken by Natalie Keller
Related Websites
Butterfly Wonderland, www.butterflywonderland.com Visit Website
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