Butterfly Gardens

After we left Butchart Gardens we went a few miles back along our route and stopped at the Butterfly Gardens.


I was there to see butterflies but a nice bi-product were the flowers.


Of course the butterflies are like flying flowers and it was nice when they landed.


Some were on plants and others at special feeders like this one.


The largest of all were the Atlas Moths.

"The Atlas Moth is the largest moth in the world with a wingspan of approximately 20 cm (8 inches). These moths live in the Oriental tropics in habitats ranging from lowland to upper mountain forests. One can identify this moth by its immense size, wing patterns, and cocoon. The moth's wing patterns consist of large triangular eyespots and strongly curved tips of the forewings, especially in males."

These were pretty cool looking fuzzy flowers but I have no idea what they are.


This is a beautiful Red Anthurium. I checked and you can get sixteen stems at Costco for $99.99 Item # 298484


Some of the butterflies were beautifully simple...

...some were elegant like this common Blue Morpho Butterfly...


...some looked like a flamingo - no wait this is a flamingo. Yes in the middle of the butterfly room there was a pair of flamingos


Some actually posed and showed off their complex colored wings.

I really liked this pink flower though I don't know what it was.


I never saw anything like the red one either and was never sure it was a bloom or a curled leaf.


This flower looked like an embarrassed pineapple.


I suspect these logs in the pond were really more of a barrier for the flamingos.


This butterfly looked like it had a black eye.


Just gorgeous.


This red epiphyllum reminds me of the many Sharyn has grown over the years.

"Epiphytic cacti are members of the Cacti family, native to South and Central American rain forests, at altitudes ranging from 900 to 1,500 metres."

Well I AM in Canada I have to be metric


Very white and very beautiful.


Another cool black and white butterfly I followed for a few minutes until it landed.


Some of the butterflies were even making little larvae.


Butterflies must like particular flowers, these bleeding bower vines (Clerodendrum thomsoniae).

I don't feel too bad about not knowing what these are but I found a picture on a blog someone else did and they said:

"Our collections of bromeliads and other air plants are quite unaffected by the change of season. These are quite addictive things to grow and the high humidity in the butterfly hall suits them perfectly. Many flower for long periods and frequently produce their odd flower spikes when the days are short. This unknown species has flowers that are very attractive to butterflies. It is a very welcome nectar source when nectar is in short supply."

And they ran a butterfly enclosure in the UK.


This was my very favorite flower a yellow spotted orchid.

All-in-all it was a wonderful day.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 3.2 million - the Contender 23

Quote of the Day ~

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne American short-story Writer and Novelist, master of the allegorical and symbolic tale. One of the greatest fiction writers in American literature. 1804-1864)