Butterflies!

A new exhibit, the Butterfly Wonderland has just opened in Scottsdale (101 and Via De Ventura). It is supposed to be the largest butterfly pavilion in the United States. It starts by offering a 3-D film on Monarch Butterflies. The film is very educational, but a bit dark. That didn't seem to bother some of the very young set who, at times, reached their hands out to touch the 3-D butterflies. The migrations of the Monarchs are impressive. They are tough little creatures.

After the film, one is escorted into a small room where butterflies in various stages of metamorphosis can be seen. This is the real deal and is quite impressive. Everyone wanted a close up view, so it was hard to see as much as desired. A little patience corrected that problem.

The pavilion itself is spectacular. There was one estimate of  3,600 butterflies in the pavilion when I walked in. They were all sizes, shapes and colors. I was impressed with the variety which came from all over the world. Parents and grandparents in the pavilion were all as excited as their young counterparts. We were warned not to touch the butterflies, but is was alright if they landed on us. Some two and three year olds couldn't resist. I had a hard time resisting myself. The pavilion was more humid than the surrounding desert air, but it was cool enough that the moisture was not a problem.

The ant exhibit is not impressive, but should attract those who have never had an ant farm. The honey bee exhibit was much more fascinating as glass cases enclosed a working hive and the various roles of honey bees could be viewed. Most interesting was the area where one could watch the bees "dance" as the communicated location for nectar for the other bees. I had seen that on film, but never in person until visiting the exhibit.

The hands on tank for petting sting rays is still a work in progress. I've seen these in other places (San Diego, Monterey), but Scottsdale's has a ways to go. There were only three to four very small sting rays in a large tank. More will be added soon. Surrounding the tank is the Amazon fish tanks. Of course, I was hoping to see piranhas, but there were a variety of other interesting fish. No piranhas.

The last stop was the gift shop. Butterfly items were all over. Butterfly hats, blown glass and coloring book were everywhere. This was a great place for a memento of the visit. I was disappointed that the gift shop did not have more books and videos on butterflies, but if one wants something for the kids or a glass butterfly for the desk, this is a great place to find it.

The Phoenix area has a great new attraction which, mercifully, can be viewed during summer months. The Butterfly Wonderland is open seven days a week and information can be found at http://www.butterflywonderland.com/. I confess to buying a year long grandparents pass. Butterfly Wonderland demands more than one visit!