Our Trip to the Butterfly Conservatory at the Boston Museum of Science

I Finally Got to Visit a Living Butterfly Conservatory

image credit - photo by melaniekaren
One of the butterflies was content to  let me get very
close to take this picture. It's a great shot of its
proboscis ("tongue").

Yesterday was so wonderful! I finally got to visit a butterfly conservatory at the Boston Museum of Science.

I've always wanted to visit one of these living butterfly pavilions since they started popping up at various natural history, science museums and zoos.

I worked at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. years ago. However, at the time the butterfly pavilion at the Insect Zoo was not open. After all these years, I'm thrilled that I finally had this opportunity.

I am also thrilled because yesterday was Mother's Day, and it was my son who took me to the Museum of Science (along with the help of his father, my husband). He's eleven and in 5th grade. How awesome it is to have a young son take you to a museum! -and a science museum no less!

I am sharing my/our experience in hopes you will be inspired to visit a butterfly conservatory near you. This is a very fun learning activity for children, and it is also very fun for all ages. At least it was for us, and I highly recommend it.

Arriving at the Museum of Science - We've got our tickets and are getting ready to go in.

image credit - photo by melaniekaren of the outside
 mural display of the butterfly conservatory.You can
see there are 4 videos playing too. These are
educational videos depicting interesting  living
aspects of butterflies and caterpillars.

I like being spontaneous when I'm out on an adventure. Therefore, I don't brief myself with a place's potential activity or on goings. I like to go and be surprised at what I find. For example, when I was in Italy, I didn't make plans ahead of time of where I wanted to visit or places I wanted to see. So, without knowing much about the area, I headed out in the morning.

I found myself walking down the street and low and behold, out of no where, I was standing in front of Christopher Columbus's home of when he was a child! It was a small modest home with no tourists poking around. It was as if everyone had seen it a thousand times, and it wasn't a big deal any longer. There was just a small plaque in front of the house that I almost missed. Needless to say, when I read the plaque, it was pretty cool to discover where I was.

I have lots of stories and experiences like this, including what I discovered at the museum yesterday. Ahead of time, I intentionally did not look online for the museum's website. I just wanted to simply go and have wonderful discoveries all day long. I had a big surprise waiting for me! We arrived, and I discovered that there was this butterfly conservatory!!

Well, the very first thing we did was purchase our tickets for the butterfly conservatory and eagerly headed there.

I've Always Had a Dream of Seeing a Live Blue Morpho Butterfly
- waiting to go in...

image credit - both images by melaniekaren

Only a limited number of people are allowed entry into the conservatory at the same time. After we watched the videos on the outside and marveled at the wall mural, we were waiting for our turn to go in. It was nice, because there was no crowd and we were the first in line with no one behind us yet.

While I tried to wait patiently for our turn, I immediately noticed the mounted butterflies at the entrance. Above are two photographs of the mounted displays. I like these displays very much, as I have made several myself. I pinned butterflies and other insects when I worked at the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, and I also made my own mounted displays a few years back when I was a mineral and fossil dealer. The patience, skill, and stillness required to spread butterflies is very high!

Click image to see on Amazon
Your own raise and release butterfly pavilion 
Insect Lore Giant Butterfly Garden

Now, notice the photograph above. Honestly, these aren't the best specimens, and this is not a really great photo. However, I took the photo anyway because these are all common blue morpho butterflies! They are different species, but are all the of the same genus. (My exact favorite is Morpho dideus.)

Blue Morpho butterflies in general are my favorite. They are iridescent and are very unusual compared to all other butterflies. I write about my experience of seeing these for the first time (only mounted) when I was a young teenager. If you'd like to read about it, you can do so here. I wrote of my experience in my article Fashion Forward Monarch Butterfly Dress.

We Tour the Conservatory - We're in!

image credit - photo by melaniekaren

A polite gentleman came out to greet us and let us enter the conservatory. We happily and quietly entered. Immediately, we had many butterflies flying around us. It was fantastic!

First, we walked the length of the butterfly garden. The conservatory itself is fairly small, and it's not like you are in a greenhouse. It is part of the science museum just as any other part is. However, the whole one side is covered with windows that overlook the river.

Exotic plants and small gardens line the walls. Overhead is fluorescent lighting that helps simulate natural sunlight. It's long with many flowering plants and small gardens and, the butterflies have fresh fruits and water given to them by the staff. It's a happy butterfly home (and now, I want one in my house! :) ).

After we walked around for a bit marveling at the butterflies, I began to take photographs. The photograph pictured here is the first photo I took.

Here are a couple more of my photos: 

At this point, I decided to put my camera away for a bit. Sometimes, I can get so carried away with getting pictures to the point that I don't stop to actually take in all that is around me. (I do the same thing at the beach. My feet are always walking, and my head is always down looking intently for treasures. Do you do this?)

image credit - both photos by melaniekaren

I ended up quickly taking my camera out a few minutes later. I saw something flutter by that had not made it's appearance yet. My heart jumped, and I knew what it was!!

A Blue Morpho Butterfly Flutters By - My dream comes true!

image credit - photo by melaniekaren

If you guessed that my dream of seeing my favorite butterfly in real living life, you guessed correctly. :)

I recognized that electric iridescent blue, grabbed my camera, and took that photo pictured here all in one crazy fast motion! It must have been quite comical, particularly since I am more of a quiet person and not very animated. Well, now, I was animated!

Not only did I not expect to be in a butterfly conservatory this day, I did not in a million years believe that blue morphos would be in one too. To me, they have always been very exotic, and I imagined one would have to go to a South American rainforest to get a glimpse.

Obviously, the butterfly is completely out of focus. However, I really like this photo, and I thought you'd enjoy it too. Look at that color!

Below are two more photos, and they are silly.

Still Trying to Get a Photo...

image credits - photos by melaniekaren

At this point, I'm just clicking away in hopes of getting even a glimpse on film of my encounter with one of these truly beautiful butterflies. I really wanted a tangible memory.

I must say that I do like these two photos though, as they make me laugh. I think the blue and black coloring of the butterfly compliments my black and white Converse very well. It looks like a new wave greeting card or a vinyl album cover straight out of the 80's.

At any rate, have a laugh at my expense. :)

All of the other butterflies are so easy to photograph, but these blue guys are so difficult. One of my immediate observations is that they don't fly like the others. Their flying is more chaotic, similar to that of a bats. They just won't land with wings spread and be still ............ until we are almost ready to leave the conservatory.

Our time in the conservatory is finished. It was great. We are about ready to walk out when I look down. Below are two photos of what I saw! :)

image credit  - photo by melaniekaren

I finally get up close and personal with a living common blue morpho butterfly. -a cherished gift I will never forget.

Want to see what we got at the gift shop? - Another Goodie I always wanted!