The Tropical Rainforest at Otago Museum is truly a not-to-be-missed experience. Educational information is offered before you enter, with lovely films of butterflies in flight. I learned that if we plant stinging nettles we may attract Red Admirals who like to lay their eggs on these. If you see a Monarch butterfly please report it to the Monarch Butterfly N.Z. Trust. This will help to monitor Monarch populations and determine the best way to help them.
Inside, the display is three storeys high, so one can experience the ground, the canopy, and the emergent growth. There’s a waterfall, much lush vegetation, and butterflies everywhere, of many different species. The most spectacular are the blue Morpho peleides, which have intricate brown patterns on the underside of their wings.
I continually felt small wings brush past me, and occasionally felt something land on my head. A small girl was carrying a butterfly on her hand and her mother told me this happens every time they come. The butterflies are attracted to the daughter, but not to the mother. Apparently some butterflies will eat blood, sweat, or tears. There are feeding stations with fruit provided, and some were sucking on the many tropical flowers such as hibiscus and orchids.
Butterfly in the Tropical Rainforest
Most of these butterflies come from the Phillipines where there is an island whose main income is from butterfly breeding. There were rows of pupae behind glass, with several freshly hatched butterflies hanging upside down to dry.
Butterflies emerging from their pupae
The display also had geckos, small quail-like birds, red-eared turtles (or were they tortoises?), and several different tarantulas. The latter were in glass cases, not roaming free.
“I saw these creatures flutter by
A sight to quite delight the eye.”
