Butterflies Fly Free

During the winter doldrum months between February and April, we wait impatiently for Spring to arrive. At this time of the year, the Montreal Botanical Gardens closes off one end of their extensive greenhouses and brings in hundreds of tropical butterflies to fly free amongst the plants.  It's a highly promoted and very popular attraction that keeps visitors coming to the MBG during the "no grow" season.

You have to really want to see them to make a visit, as there always seems to be a wait in line to get in (and the children are amazingly patient). It's almost as much fun to watch the people interacting with the butterflies as it is to watch the butterflies themselves. Once you pass through the butterfly proof barrier, people seem to lose both their inhibitions and their sense of decorum as they stand with their arms out hoping one will land on them. And then there are the truly annoying people who don't seem to understand "Don't touch the butterflies" in either English, French, or sign language. (A line drawing of a butterfly held in a hand with a red circle and cross through it is pretty explicit I'd say).

However, despite, the lines and the crowds, it is a truly magical experience, and an extremely sad one too. We shouldn't have to pay to stand in a crowded greenhouse to be with one of nature's most endearing creatures; we should be restoring their habitats, not spraying every caterpillar in sight, and then perhaps we could experience these beautiful ephemeral insects where they should be seen - in their natural habitats.

Here are some shots of the butterflies.

Myscelia ethusa (Mexican Bluewing )

The Tailed Green Jay (Graphium agamemnon).
Native to India, South East Asia and Australia.

This is a blue butterfly (I think it's the Blue Morpho).
When it's not flying it folds its wings and the brown underside provides camouflage.
Native to Central and Southern America it is severely threatened in the wild.
This Blue Morpho has landed on David's shirt.

Papilio Déiphobus Rumanzovia - Male.
 It can be found in Australasia (especially Indonesia).

You get a sense of how glorious the butterflies are through the pictures but there's nothing to compare with seeing them in flight. For example, the Papilio Deiphobus Rumanzovia is a bit boring in the photograph, but it is transformed in flight. Take a look for yourself.  Notice the "don't touch the butterfly" sign at the base of the plant (that is if you can tear your eyes away from the butterfly).

Here's a better view of the underside of the wings of the Papilio Déiphobus Rumanzovia.  I don't know what the plant is that this one is feeding on, but I've seen other photos of it on the web drinking at this flower. It must be a particular favorite of this species.

This is the Malabar Tree Nymph, or Rice Paper (Idea malabarica) butterfly. It can be found in Southern India and South East Asia. Notice the way this one is perched on the citrus flower rather than flapping its wings. I'm not sure if that's because some species like to drink on the fly or just because there really isn't a place to perch on some types of flowers. Hmmm, that's a good question to ask a butterfly expert.

The next butterfly is the Birdwing (Troides rhadamantus). This is a female. You have absolutely no idea how stunning the underside of Birdwing is from the top! Watch the video below and you'll see what I mean.

This is the Birdwing sipping the nectar from what I think is a lantana. The yellow and red body is a startling surprise.

What you see here are mostly the white butterflies that actually play together in flight. Sometimes, 2 or 3 of them will appear to perform an aerial ballet. The blue butterflies also play in the same manner, as they are in the same family.

This was the 15th year the MBG hosted the Butterflies Go Free exhibit, and this year they divided it into two exhibits:- the butterfly house with butterflies that fly during the day, and at the other end of the greenhouses was the moths that fly at night. Of course we didn't get to see many moths as it was daylight when we visited, but here are 2 examples that were resting. If these 2 were anything to go by, the moths can certainly give the butterflies a run for their money in terms of sheer spectacle.

The Cobra Moth (Attacus atlas). Native to South East Asia, the Cobra moth is considered one of the largest in the world. It is a silk producing moth which This moth has no mouth parts and only lives for 1-2 weeks. Just enough time to reproduce.

Cercropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia). The largest of the North American moths, it too has no mouth parts and lives for 7 to 10 days.

P.S. To enlarge a picture, simply click once on it (thanks to my clever husband for filling me in on that little secret).