Butterfly Wonderland, Scottsdale, Arizona ©

America's Largest Butterfly Atrium

Visit the new Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, where one can watch the journey of the Monarch Butterflies in the three generation migration and observe the dynamic stages of the butterflies and moths!  

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
We all know about the Monarch Butterfly--this is a male and easy to identify.  He is much brighter in color than the female Monarch and has a spot on the lower part of each of his wings.

Clipper (Parthenos Sylvia) 

The Clipper is found in south and south-east Asia in forested areas.  He is a fast-flying butterfly and flies with his wings flapping stiffly but may glide between spurts of flapping.  Just to confuse you the Clipper can be found in different background colors depending on the area where he is found, but the white patches on the forewing are the clear identifying factor of this beautifully colored butterfly. 

Some are very hard to identify but are so beautiful!

Orange Tip (Anthocharis Cardamines)
Orange Tip butterflies bear bright white wings that are marked with an orange area along the upper edge of the forewing.  The Orange Tip butterflies are common and are often released at weddings and used for live displays

American Moon Moth (Actias Luna)

The adults emerge from their cocoons in the mornings.  Their wings are very small when they emerge and they must enlarge them by pumping bodily fluids through them.  Their wings are very soft during this time and they must climb somewhere safe to wait for their wings to harden before they can fly--which takes about 2 hours.

Although rarely seen due to their very brief (1 week) adult lives, Luna Moths are considered common. The adults do not eat or have mouths--  they emerge as adults to mate and are commonly seen at night.

Blue Morpho (Morpho Peleides)

The morphos are a sub-family of beautiful iridescent-blue butterflies that inhabit the rain forests of South America.

Magnificant Owl Neotropical (Caligo atreus)

South American butterflies which are large and marked with large owl-like eyespots.

With his wings open, he displays this rich dark brown with purple-blue iridescence and yellow--wow!

Photo ops are all over the atrium! 

Your visit is sure to be very rewarding, and if you don't watch out one may go home with you!

(Copyright 2013)

Birding in the Backyard ©

Amazing what a person can attract with a feeder, sticky succulents and cactus flowers!  

The beautiful little Rufous Hummingbird is quite the traveler.  They breed in the Pacific Northwest and up into Alaska. They winter in Mexico which means they make a tremendous migration every year.  Some Rufous have been found to fly as many as 12,000 miles during a round-trip migration.

This guy was in Carefree, AZ in early September.

These busy birds are named for the male's overall rufous or reddish brown color, and are very vocal and aggressive.  While asserting his territory the male may fan his tail, displaying its bright rufous coloration.

The Annas are still here in the desert and are probably happy that the Rufous are off wintering, leaving the the backyard feeders for their pleasure only!

(Copyright 2013)