Niagara Butterfly Conservatory

Niagara Falls is obviously visited for the falls. There is far more to enjoy though once your away the Falls and Lundy street. Our first stop on Saturday was the much awaited Niagara Botanical gardens. In side the gardens is I believe it said.....Canada's biggest Butterfly conservatory.

I am a huge fan of these delightful smorgasbord of fluttering magical insects. Members  of the Lepidoptera family.

Everywhere you looked clusters of butterfly's in an array of colour covered the plants

This butterfly has a lot more red on the underside which would distract a preditor

This was perhaps my favorite of all including the Blue Morphs

Okay Im just going to say it.... I have seen "Aliens"....hmmmm

This one is newly hatched and has fully extended his wings. They are born and break out of the cocoon with just enough energy to pump up their wings. They risk the danger of falling from the cocoon before their wings are fully extended risking that they might not be able too and then not be able to fly.

This Blue Morph had just hatched and made its way out of a hole in the front of the glass.. Hes resting on the top of the viewing box...

This is someones grandmother who was beaming from ear to ear as all the butterflys seemed to love to settle on her head. By far the most photographed human in the place.

Butterflys need to keep their body temperature above 78 I believe it said... There were lots of butterflys resting on the netting inside the glass and then flying away I guess once they had recharged!

When a butterfly lands on a plant and you see it beat the plant with its front legs it is actually getting the plant to release its pheromones so that it can identify the plant and know that it is a suitable place to lay its eggs. After all that plant has to be acceptable for the newly hatched larva to eat in their first stage!

Its wonderfly how so many of them are so well camouflaged 

There was actually a lot of mating in progress in this conservatory. There was a couple of Monarches connected and being held by a boy and girl in their open hands while lots of family members took pictures.  

This was a neat guy who kept landing on me.. I was wearing a tank about the same green! Unfortunately the pictures Bear took with his phone didn't turn out well at all.

 I have far too many pictures to include them all. Perhaps I can have a follow up and even try to put some names to the pictures. I shall also endeavor to get some pictures of the butterfly's in my own garden. Often as not I am so caught up with enjoying the butterfly's I forget to grab my camera.

Have a great week and remember...

It is never too late to be what you might have been!

Kate