I made an appointment for a friend and I to attend the tropical butterfly exhibit at South Coast Botanic Garden (SCBG) last Saturday when she paid me a visit. Our morning marine layer along the coast has been fairly persistent but I'd booked a slot for 10:30AM in the hope that it would be lifting by then as the butterflies aren't very active until the temperature rises and the the sun shines. Things didn't look good on our drive over as the fog was dense but luckily, as we were waiting to enter the exhibit, the sun began breaking through the clouds.
This is the fifth run for the SOAR tropical butterfly exhibit. I've attended each year. The SOAR enclosure was built in 2020/2021 by a contractor called Spineless Wonders, which specializes in both permanent and temporary butterfly enclosures. The area adjacent to the enclosure, formerly dedicated to dahlias, is now planted in flowers and foliage that attract local butterflies (while the tropical butterflies are carefully contained within the enclosure). Visitors with tickets are permitted to wander the butterfly garden prior to their admission to the butterfly pavilion.
 |
| The raised beds of the former dahlia garden remain in place |
 |
| The planters are arranged in a circular pattern |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left, the plants I noted included: Buddleias, Calendulas, Achilleas and Tagetes, various single-petaled Dahlias, and a plant that's familiar but I couldn't identify |
 |
| Aided by a visiting child's attention to details, I caught a photo of a caterpillar |
There are lots of signs to help visitors learn more about butterflies, as well as an Emergence Chamber where they can view butterfly pupas (aka chrysalises).
 |
| This butterfly had fully emerged from its chrysalis but was still drying out, a process that can take up to 2 hours according to the posted FAQs |
 |
| Other helpful graphics |
 |
| This sign with guidelines for visitors upon entering the pavilion stood just outside the pavilion's entrance. One of the exhibit's guides also took the group through the rules prior to letting them enter in small groups. The entrance cubicle has 2 doors and a middle buffer to prevent the tropical butterflies from escaping their enclosure. |
The pavilion's interior area is filled with plants attractive to the tropical butterflies.
 |
| The enclosure is more densely planted than it was in the early days of 2021. The plants have also changed a lot over the years. |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left, plants I noted included: Fuchsia arborescens, Pentas lanceolata, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (aka blue porter weed), and a noID plant that looks like some kind of Gardenia to me but my cell phone's app doesn't agree |
I'd taken a photo of the sign listing the current butterflies in residence at the entrance booth. Unfortunately, on this occasion, I was only able to photograph four different species, which was less than half the number my camera captured in prior years.
The lingering marine layer may have limited the number warmed up to fly, or the supply of butterflies may be lower than in prior years. One of the attendants told me that SCBG had used a butterfly broker in prior years to obtain chrysalises from multiple sources at periodic intervals. This year I understand they're using only a single source.
 |
| The sign listed a Hamadryas laodamia (aka starry cracker) among the pavilion's current flyers but this looks more like Hamadryas februa (aka gray cracker) to me. Based on my own prior experience, this one is particularly prone to landing on people. |
 |
| Two different golden longwings (Heleconius hecale) |
 |
| The large blue morphos (Morpho peleides) were all over but as usual proved difficult to photograph with their bright blue upper wings wide open. I more commonly saw them with wings closed as in the middle photo. My friend caught the photo on the right using her cell phone when another visitor leaned in with a flower-shaped nectar vial. |
 |
| The malachites (Siproeta stelenes) seemed to be the most abundant butterflies moving about during this visit, as well as the most accommodating about opening their wings |
I may book another visit to the SOAR pavilion later in the season to see if the mix of butterflies changes. The exhibit is scheduled to run through the end of September.
This year, a second exhibit called Bamboozled, featuring bird sculptures created from bamboo, is running concurrently with SOAR. I'll provide photos of those sculptures and some of the plants I noted during our walk through SCBG on Friday.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
That's a fun visit, what did you think of their changes (types of plants)?
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the butterflies, even when they're not entirely cooperative about being photographed ;) I think the plantings outside and inside the pavilion have improved over the years. In prior years, SCBG was criticized for using tropical milkweed in the outside area because it can have a negative impact on the native monarchs along the coast (by compelling them to hang around when they should be migrating south) but I didn't see any of that this year. In contrast, the interior of the pavilion appeared to be planted with more tropical plants appropriate to the appetites of the tropical butterflies inside.
DeleteI briefly looked at your photos from the early visit in 2021. The changes from both the circles outside and inside the inclosure are substantial. I suppose some of the early plants were 'place holder' until things matured and filled in. Either way, I always enjoy a visit to a butterfly exhibit. There is something light, cheerful and carefree when being around butterflies.
ReplyDeleteChavli
I was gratified to see that none of the children included in the group that entered the pavilion with me expressed fear of the butterflies this year. That may just be happenstance but I'm hoping it's a sign of progress in familiarizing children with nature. Butterflies should be seen as nothing short of magical.
DeleteI was just wondering whether any kids were screaming in fear this year. Glad to hear they were a happier bunch this year.
DeleteI think SCBG held classes with parents and kids on pollinators last year, which may have helped. Exposure to all forms of nature is key!
DeleteSorry, but...what happens to the butterflies--they all die far from their native habitats? Eggs die too? Do they save eggs or caterpillars and they create a next generation somewhere? I guess this is to expose people to educate them about butterflies, but wonder who or what's getting exploited with a business (for profit?) like "butterfly broker". Hopefully it supports conservation efforts--or something.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that this is primarily an educational experience and that it helps emerge visitors in nature, which all too few now experience. I've complained many times about how spooked small children seem to be by even the most harmless elements of nature and, to the extent that exposure like this helps them appreciate and respect it, the exhibit has real value - even a half hour in the exhibit is worth tens times what adults and especially children spend staring at screens.
DeleteAs to the pluses and minuses of "butterfly raising," I can't really address that. One of the guides in the exhibit claimed that, although most butterflies are short-lived to begin with, they survive longer in the protected environment of the pavilion than outside of it. I doubt SCBG has any involvement in collecting the eggs they lay and I doubt the staff is equipped to preserve or care for caterpillars but the companies that raise the butterflies for sale as chrysalises probably have mechanisms for maintaining a population on their own grounds as collecting butterfly eggs in the wild would presumably be an unsustainable business model. Maybe it helps to think of it like like growing Christmas trees or raising chickens.
A long time ago, in a land far away (Wisconsin), I taught a summer class where we had middle schoolers raise cabbage white butterflies from egg to maturity on plants that they had raised from seed. I think that was a good way for kids to learn about nature and the cycle of life. It was a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteThe more intensive the exposure to the "cycle of life" the better it is, Jerry. When I was a docent at SCBG, most of the tours I conducted were with elementary and middle school children. Although a 90-minute tour isn't much, I felt like we made some inroads. It wasn't clear to me that the schools reinforced the experiences, though. I think public schools are now handling their own tours, although I can't claim to have seen many (any?) since the docent role was scrapped. The few tours I've seen recently have involved young disabled adults but hopefully more are happening.
DeleteWhat a nice place to visit!
ReplyDeleteIt is! Thanks for dropping by Ilze.
DeleteOoh, nice photos, Kris. I love visiting butterfly houses, it's like a trip to the tropics. We have one here that is quite popular in winter, naturally! Eliza
ReplyDeleteI hope to get back there one more time before the exhibit closes in late September, although it isn't clear to me whether they'll have the range of butterflies - and moths - they've featured in the past.
DeleteI love the malachites!
ReplyDeleteI love them too, which is a good thing as they were the most prevalent and active at the time my friend and I visited!
Delete