Butterfly House
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 27 Sep 2014 22:57
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Butterfly and Orchid House,
Tararu, Thames
         After lunch on Mabel we walked
through a very tired entrance walkway from the Kiwi Holiday Park to the
Butterfly House. Not sure what the relationship is between the two different
owners but it seems not to be one made in heaven. Anyway, as soon as we entered
the heat and humidity our thoughts turned to warming our cameras, in front of the thoughtfully placed
hairdryer near the door. There were the usual
lovely suspects to be seen in a tropical
house.
  Then a new one on us, a banana in flower.
 A pitcher plant –
one open, one closed.
 White
ginger.
   Two really new to us, the Dutchman’s pipe.
The batwing plant –
seen as a pest in the wild and to be reported if found. Shame as we thought it looked different
and the flowers are quite pretty but, it chokes its neighbours to
death.
   There are about four hundred butterflies in this butterfly house.
Due to their short life span of about two weeks they need to replace about a
thousand a month. Fifty per cent are bred here. About five hundred chrysalises
come in from Asia, South America and the Philippines, these imported chaps go
into quarantine until they hatch and are then transferred into the butterfly
house. The Department of Conservation strictly controls these imports and
already this year three species of butterfly have been put on the banned list.
What a shame as they cannot escape from here and it may be the only chance some
species have to keep going. Next we bimbled in search of closer looks at these
beautiful creatures, but I would caution some of them to keep to a speed limit
so we can enjoy them as they were just too fast. Some
rested quietly in a well behaved manner, some
fed their faces but the second you got into position they shot off, some
clearly only had one thing on their
mind.........
 Making the next
generation.
            The next
generation – still amazes us that a caterpillar becomes a
butterfly.
 ALL IN ALL A LOVELY
SURPRISE
A REALLY GOOD
FIND |