Happy Saturday good people, I hope you are well! A little while ago I went to the Butterfly Farm at Stratford Upon Avon - I highly recommend it's quite the experience! It took my camera quite the while to adjust to the humid environment but once we got going I really got going... It's a long one - go put the kettle on and come back for a beautiful butterfly blog post.
What better place to start than with the cocoons/chrysalis' - the beginning of a butterfly's life. Do you think caterpillar's know what they become?...
On one of the cocoon pods an absolutely giant butterfly was just - hanging out - and he had these massive "ears" which I absolutely had to capture.
Caligo Memnon (The Owl) Butterfly eating a pineapple, another eating an orange and two more, a chillin'
In one large "enclosure" there are possibly hundreds of butterflies flying about but unfortunately some people don't watch their step and some get trampled, damaging their wings like this one - so if you do take yourself or your little ones to a butterfly farm, remember to watch your step and be gentle to these fragile things.
Greta Oto/Clearwing Butterfly eating an orange.
Morpho Peleides (Blue Morpho) Butterfly... Why "blue"? Take a look at the open wings of this stunning butterfly...
A stunning vivid blue that catches your eye, you'll have to hang around for long enough for one of them to open up and show you their beautiful colour.
Morpho Peleides and Siproeta Stelenes (Malachite) Butterfly sharing a leaf.
Siproeta Stelenes (Malachite) Butterfly.
Papilio Memnon (Great Mormon) Butterflies.
More Great Mormon Butterflies...
Idea Leuconae (Great Tree Nymph) Butterflies.
Heliconius Hecale (Tiger Longwing) Butterfly.
A Tiger Longwing on the plastic curtains by the fire exit doors.
More Tiger Longwings...
Heliconius Hecale (Tiger Longwing) and Heliconis Erato Cybria (Red Postman) Butterfly.
Parides Sesostris (Emerald-patched Cattleheart) Butterflies.
Papilio Demoleus (Chequered Swallowtail) Butterflies.
Papilio Lowi (Asian Swallowtail) Butterfly.
Kallima Paralekta (Indian Leafwing) Butterfly. I almost walked straight past this butterfly until I double taked and noticed it's excellent camouflage.
(Can't find this name for the life of me)
Hypolimnas Bolina (Great Eggfly) Butterfly.
Papilio Thoas (Thoas Swallowtail) Butterfly.
Hamadryas Laodamia (Starry Cracker) Butterfly.
Heliconius Melpomene (Common Postman) Butterfly.
Cethosia Biblis (Red Lacewing) Butterfly.
Methona Confusa (Giant Glasswing) Butterfly.
Danaus Plexippus (Monarch) Butterflies.
The farm doesn't stop at butterflies though, there are two huge - um reptiles - in the enclosure with the butterflies but they just sit at the top of trees like it's nobody's business.
And there's a whole section of other animals behind glass. including these beauties...
Just look at that handprint!
Not forgetting the whole colony of leafcutter ants, which are mesmerising if a bit creepy as they walk across these ropes over your head, all over the room...
And there you have it! I love my images from this day as it was something new and I had wanted to photograph it properly, I had been before when I was younger and remember my mom pointing out a butterfly to me, when at that moment another came and landed on her finger, sending us both into giggles. It's quite pleasant but with all the delicate creatures fluttering about it's not as relaxing as I had imagined - not quite the place to sit for some mindfulness with so many pairs of wings around! But still an amazing day out nonetheless.
Cheerio loved ones - Beky x
[SuA BF]
