RSS
I’ve learned that at Butterfly World you tend to hear certain phrases over and over and over. “Oh, LOOK!” and “There’s another one!” and “Wowwwwww!” So after pointing and wowing our way through the butterflies and small birds, we finally found the lorikeets, lories and … the bugs! They were just as wow-worthy.
You enter a giant birdcage and there you are – standing among the very mischievous big birds of Butterfly World. This is definitely the comedy portion of your visit. Lorikeets and lories are extraordinarily colorful and playful. Butterfly World itself calls them “the breathtakingly beautiful clowns of the parrot world.” One of them swooped over, plunked down on my friend’s purse and tried hard to beak its way through the contents.
Other birds squawked and flapped through lorikeet-wrestling matches that looked serious but were only very rough play, or so the cagekeeper assured us. Two of the birds actually rolled themselves into a ball and flung each other around the ground in some bizarre romp. No harm done … both emerged unscathed and I guess they thought it was all in good fun. I only know that it’s very funny to watch. They seem to love people too and don’t mind sitting on your shoulder or hand – especially if you have a bit of food to offer.
Next door to the Lorikeet Encounter, as it’s officially named, is something new at Butterfly World. The museum and insectarium. We just called that “looking at the bugs.”
It is amazing, though, no kidding. It begins with dozens of insects, moths and butterflies mounted for display, critters from all over the world. You’ll be glad some of these monster beetles live in Africa or wherever. An insect six-inches across with horns and distinct bug-chompers is not something you want to find crawling on your patio in the morning.
But the best and, yes, creepiest part of that exhibit is the live area. This is one time you won’t mind the glass cases. Because under all this heavy glass is some truly weird and spooky stuff. Like several varieties of tarantula. These include the rose hair tarantula, which can shoot abdomen hairs that stick and sting you. And there are the scorpions such as the emperor scorpion that kills small mice for supper. And there’s even a Vietnamese centipede, with a bite that can take out humans. See, I told you that you’d be glad for that glass …
Outside again, we walked across the Tinalandia Suspension Bridge, a replica of a hanging bridge found in a tropical rain forest. There were more birds, more gardens. There was a peaceful small lake. And tranquility seemed everywhere around too, outside just as it was earlier within the Tropical Rain Forest and the aviary.
Of course my friend and I eventually had to leave this blissful place, as we all do. Escape is good sometimes, leaving behind the daily grind to enjoy a different, more gentle side of our world. Butterfly World offers us that sanctuary. I, for one, am very glad it’s there.
You enter a giant birdcage and there you are – standing among the very mischievous big birds of Butterfly World. This is definitely the comedy portion of your visit. Lorikeets and lories are extraordinarily colorful and playful. Butterfly World itself calls them “the breathtakingly beautiful clowns of the parrot world.” One of them swooped over, plunked down on my friend’s purse and tried hard to beak its way through the contents.
Other birds squawked and flapped through lorikeet-wrestling matches that looked serious but were only very rough play, or so the cagekeeper assured us. Two of the birds actually rolled themselves into a ball and flung each other around the ground in some bizarre romp. No harm done … both emerged unscathed and I guess they thought it was all in good fun. I only know that it’s very funny to watch. They seem to love people too and don’t mind sitting on your shoulder or hand – especially if you have a bit of food to offer.
Next door to the Lorikeet Encounter, as it’s officially named, is something new at Butterfly World. The museum and insectarium. We just called that “looking at the bugs.”
It is amazing, though, no kidding. It begins with dozens of insects, moths and butterflies mounted for display, critters from all over the world. You’ll be glad some of these monster beetles live in Africa or wherever. An insect six-inches across with horns and distinct bug-chompers is not something you want to find crawling on your patio in the morning.
But the best and, yes, creepiest part of that exhibit is the live area. This is one time you won’t mind the glass cases. Because under all this heavy glass is some truly weird and spooky stuff. Like several varieties of tarantula. These include the rose hair tarantula, which can shoot abdomen hairs that stick and sting you. And there are the scorpions such as the emperor scorpion that kills small mice for supper. And there’s even a Vietnamese centipede, with a bite that can take out humans. See, I told you that you’d be glad for that glass …
Outside again, we walked across the Tinalandia Suspension Bridge, a replica of a hanging bridge found in a tropical rain forest. There were more birds, more gardens. There was a peaceful small lake. And tranquility seemed everywhere around too, outside just as it was earlier within the Tropical Rain Forest and the aviary.
Of course my friend and I eventually had to leave this blissful place, as we all do. Escape is good sometimes, leaving behind the daily grind to enjoy a different, more gentle side of our world. Butterfly World offers us that sanctuary. I, for one, am very glad it’s there.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 12:30 PM
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home