Saturday, April 01, 2023

A (Very) Short Tropical Getaway

 


Outside, bright sunshine and chilly wind vied for supremacy. I stood in the line up to enter Butterfly Gardens with three grands and shivered without my jacket. I knew that tropical temperatures awaited me. A fluffy Yellow Canary welcomed us into the humidity. I felt my hair responding immediately - curl and frizz ensued as expected as the jungle ambiance surrounded me.


Butterflies are everywhere in this miniature paradise, landing on heads and brightly coloured clothing. Butterfly Garden's website has a great guide to the names of the butterflies. I thought of Barbara from Coastal Ripples blog because of her interest and knowledge of butterflies. 
Do you find that certain sights remind you of blogging friends?


Blue and gold macaws kept careful watch from their perches, or splashed in bowls of water. Other parrots flew around, made cheerful conversation, and entertained us well. 


The pink flamingo looked so elegant  beside the koi pond and its great posture had me straightening my back. 


I was reminded of the first time I saw a Blue Morpho in the wild. Seven months pregnant with our son (middle child), I went on a jungle hike in Ecuador that involved descending into a deep canyon via a steep trail with a rope. Tim and our guide took good care of me and I managed to go up and down without incident. 

At the bottom of the small deep canyon, a waterfall splashed into a small pool before running away in a stream of clear cool water. Light filtered through tall trees and a fine mist filled the air. Several Blue Morphos flitted about as we admired this secret place. With closed wings these creatures camouflage well (they are the brown ones with many "eyes" in the lower left corner of the collage above), but when they fly, oh the beauty of their iridescent blue wings. 

This memory came to mind as I watched Blue Morphos in the gardens this week. It's difficult to capture them in flight and as soon as they stop, the wings close, hiding their blue beauty. I managed to capture a hint of the blue which does not compare to actually seeing them. 

It's far too cold for butterflies outside of the sanctuary just now, but I've seen a few fat bumblebees busy about the early blooms which is an encouraging sight. What are the sights in your world these days?

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:33 PM

    Going on a jungle hike while seven months pregnant...you were very brave. I'm glad all went well and you were able to experience the beauty at the bottom of the canyon. Wonderful memories. GM

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  2. Beautiful... thanks for your great shots. I think I have to go to the botanical garden :-)))
    Many greetings to you, I wish you a nice Palm Sunday.
    Viola

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  3. Thank you for this tropical getaway. The images are beautiful and paired with that memory…perfect.

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  4. What a lovely getaway! We've the same old critters! Deer & coyotes.

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  5. A perfect place to be on a chilly day. Beautiful pictures. The secret pool sounds magical.

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  6. Oh my! This is just fabulous. Yes, I think well worth a shivering wait!

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  7. That's a great Butterfly Garden and the canary is beautiful. A nice tropical getaway and you got to take your grandchildren which certainly makes up for the short time~. It's been a long time since we've been to a Butterfly Garden~

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  8. Beautiful images. You really don't want to know what I'm looking at right now. It is snowing and the forecast is for several days of it.

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  9. Yes, butterflies remind me of Barbara. Pretty photos from the garden. I don't know a lot of people who could say...'I went on a jungle hike'. You've had many amazing adventures.

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  10. Beautiful photos! The yellow canary and the flamingo are my favorites. We have a butterfly garden nearby, but there aren't any birds. Such a great idea to visit at this time of year, while waiting for Spring to come to the outdoors.

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  11. Hi Lorrie,

    Oh, what a fun place to visit!! I adore butterflies and birds, so this is my kind of place. :) That canary is beautiful, and so are the other two birds. That humidity would definitely do a number on my hair, too. :D This sounds like a great place to take your grands; Will and I used to love doing things like this. Thank you for sharing with us, and I hope you have a good week!

    Much love,

    Denise

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  12. Anonymous5:58 PM

    The last time I was in Victoria I loved visiting the Butterfly Garden. It was so delightful. I seemed like there was a macaw that took a liking to me and liked that I talked to him. He sat on a bench and had quite a chat. I would love returning. Thanks for the memory. Sights in my world? Hummm? I did see a hawk just yesterday as we were driving home from church.

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  13. Thank you for the mention and your lovely memories. We visited a tropical butterfly sanctuary in France several years ago and as you say it was like being transported to a different place. So many beautiful creatures. Love the blues. B x

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  14. What pretty butterflies!

    Last week, there was a raccoon in my sight! I was house-sitting for a friend and a raccoon was sitting on their back porch bench during the day! I tried to scare it away with some noise, but it didn't budge. Fortunately, it was gone when I returned the next day.

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  15. Such beauty and color and pattern ... and a nice walk down memory lane. Butterflies are all over the place here. Our neighbor has bunches of flowers that they just love but it also then becomes a feasting opportunity for tiny birds such as the sparrows. Interesting to watch the chase though as they are both constantly flitting about.

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  16. That looks like a wonderful place to spend time with grands! Beautiful photos. Yes, it is too cold for butterflies, bees and birds...and me. Hopefully things warm up soon.

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  17. What a perfectly lovely short tropical getaway, Lorrie! I’ll bet it was so much fun with the grands.
    I’m sure that you’re missing cooking and baking in your kitchen. Tim’s birthday cake was so pretty that your DIL made. Your family has such a wonderful bond!
    Happy Easter Blessings to you and your family! ✝️ 🌷🙏🏻

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  18. I can relate to your comment about the humidity as I have just returned to Sweaty Betty time of year in Thailand! What a lovely excursion to take the Grands to enjoy the butterflies, love the canary too!
    Have a lovely Easter.
    Wren x

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  19. What a lovely visit, brings back memories of taking our Grands to butterfly world some years back now.
    Your photographs are lovely.
    Taking the opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter.

    All the best Jan

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  20. What a wonderful getaway!
    Beautiful photos, Lorrie.

    Happy Easter!

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  21. The butterfly garden made me think of my sister Teresa who loves them so much. How I would love to see a pink flamingo in my garden! Today i look out and see my husband with his pruners at work . Yay!

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Thank you for your comment. I read and value each one, cherishing the connections we can make although far apart. Usually, I visit your blog in return, although if you ask a question I try to contact you directly.

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