2023 August
Named the Casa de Domo, this geodesic dome houses 22 species of butterflies. It is close to the entrance building at the top of the stairs.
An airlock door, created by two sets of plastic floor-to-ceiling strips, form an entrance that allows you go in but keeps the butterflies from fluttering out. Attendants regulate the number of people inside at any one time keeping the enclosure from getting too crowded. They also watch that the butterflies stay where they belong.
When you enter, you receive a butterfly identification sheet with photos. You return it when you leave. Tip: take a photo of the ID sheet to help identifying photos later. These insects seldom stay still for long making it hard to get a good photo but makes for great videos.
The plants provide food and shelter as the butterflies fly around. Nestled in some foliage toward the center is a wooden box with several shelves. Attached to the undersides of some shelves, were several chrysalises in which pupa (the immature insect form) becomes ready to hatch.
Caterpillar makes the chrysalis (protective shell) around itself then it undergoes metamorphoses. After this change is complete, the chrysalis splits open, the new butterfly climbs out, expands its wings then flies away. You see the results of this process in all the butterflies fluttering around you.
Butterflies are one of the most popular motifs in the visual and literary arts. The name comes from the old English butorflēoge. Similar names appear in Old Dutch and Old High German but modern Dutch and German now use different common names. The scientific name, which is used world wide, is Rhopalocera, a suborder under the order Lepidoptera.
Children are fascinated by butterflies, adults likewise. The word for butterfly in Spanish is mariposa. It is said that if you dream of butterflies, you are meant to spread your wings and explore new ventures. Maybe to learn another languages while exploring its land and culture.
