Tropical butterflies

South Coast Botanic Garden is hosting its third tropical butterfly exhibit.  I purchased a ticket to visit on Tuesday afternoon, hoping it would be warm enough that the butterflies would be active.

A SOAR photo station has been set up in the area approaching the butterfly pavilion

This Wall of Wings recognizes those who donated funds in support of the exhibit

I saw a notice like this in a butterfly exhibit at a different botanic garden years ago and I was pleased to see this one at the entrance booth.  The butterfly icons appeared to be magnetic, allowing them to be changed out as needed.

As instructed, I checked in at the entrance to the SOAR exhibit fifteen minutes before my ticket permitted entrance into the enclosed butterfly pavilion at 2:30pm.  I cooled my heels checking out the exterior displays while I waited.

This garden area is filled with plants attractive to native butterflies.  It provides an example of what visitors can plant to attract them to their own gardens.

These photos offer a closer look at the exterior beds in the raised planters and the surrounding area.  The milkweed sign was interesting.  In prior years, the garden planted tropical milkweed in the exterior garden, which isn't appropriate in an area like ours so close to the ocean.  I wasn't alone in complaining about this and SCBG clearly got the message.

The volunteers minding the exhibit direct incoming visitors to the "Emergence Chamber" while they await admittance into the pavilion.  The third photo (right) shows caterpillar pupa, allowing visitors to view butterflies as they emerge following their transformation.

Additional signs provide general information on butterflies and the plants needed to support them.  The sign on the right directs visitors as to how to behave within the pavilion to protect the delicate creatures.  These instructions are repeated by volunteers prior to entrance.

Final guidance before visitors step through the door into the pavilion.  You enter, walk through hanging plastic straps, and wait until everyone has entered and the first door is closed before entering through a second door.  The same procedure is established at the exhibit's exit to prevent butterflies from escaping.

Unfortunately, our morning marine layer had hung on well into the afternoon so the butterflies weren't as active as I'd have liked. 

A lot of butterflies were at feeding stations, most with their wings closed.  Blue Morpho butterflies (Morpho peleides) were the most noticeable on this visit, due to their numbers, their size, and their bright blue wings.  There's one owl butterfly (Caligo memnon) in the dish on the upper right, wings closed.  The small butterfly in the pink dish on the lower left is a blue frosted banner (Catonephele numilia).

The plants inside the pavilion were selected to support and attract tropical butterflies

I can't say the butterflies were completely inactive.

One visitor has a giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) land on her hat

Visitors who purchased special tickets were given feeding tubes to attract butterflies.  These 2 managed to attract blue Morphos.

Another blue Morpho landed on my shoe (left) and stayed there for nearly 5 minutes.  (I finally asked a volunteer to help move it somewhere safer.)  I think the butterfly that landed on the head of the woman on the right must be some kind of longwing (Heleconius) but I couldn't find an exact match on the exhibit's directory or online.

There weren't as many varieties of butterflies as I recall seeing on my visits in prior years but that may be attributable to our cooler weather conditions.  I can't blame the butterflies for waiting for warmer conditions before leaving their chrysalises. 

Zebra longwing (Heleconius charithonia, left) and postman (Heliconius melpomene, right)

All photos of blue Morphos (Morpho peleides) with wings in different positions and conditions.  The butterfly on the lower right is the one that was removed from my shoe.

I had to guess at the identify of the butterfly on the left with its wings closed, which I think may be a ruby spotted swallowtail (Heraclides anchisiades).  The one on the right is another giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).

2 photos of rusty tipped pages (Siproeta epaphus)

I may go back another time before the exhibit ends on August 31.  New butterflies are introduced at regular intervals.  If you're interested, you can find my 2022 post here and my 2021 post here.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party