Butterflies in October... Oh My !

I recently purchased a new camera and wanted to test it out. After giving it some thought, what better place to put it to the test than the Butterfly Museum! It had been awhile and driving to Gainesville should make for a grand adventure. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

I have featured the Butterfly Museum before so I will omit background detail and simply say that it is a great place to experience living in a rainforest and interact with some very beautiful creatures.

As soon as I walked into the rainforest I ran into this guy.






He flew away and then returned so I could capture a front view as well.

In addition to butterflies the museum is truly a living rainforest with all kinds of plants, and is loaded with these little birds. There seemed to be more of them since my last visit.

The new camera has a super zoom that really came in handy as I got a shot of these two beauties.

I realized that close-ups will be easier in the future because I was able to get up close and personal with this one.

I almost felt like I had won the lottery with this particular shot. It seemed that the butterflies almost knew they were on display and went out of their way to accommodate me.

In fact, a few people in the museum started calling me the butterfly whisperer because they started following me around. It was the strangest feeling as they sat on my blouse and I was almost afraid to move. A woman standing near by took this picture of my predicament.

I particularly liked this one because you are able to see the detail in the butterfly's body. One of the guides explained that the red coloring on some is an indication to predators that they are not a good meal. It seems they can eat a poisonous bug and convert the toxin into the coloring as a defense. Amazing!

This guy just flew into sight and sat there.

But this one is truly my favorite because the stem of the flower adds to the visual excitement of the butterfly enjoying a sip of nectar.

And a fitting close to the day was this guy who worked in the museum, and decided to get into the spirit of the event. Life is good!

A Visit to Old Florida

Awhile back we returned to Gainesville which before we met was Alex’s point of entry into Florida. Once we began to date, every other weekend involved a drive to the little town he lived in just outside of Gainesville. Since then I have always had a soft spot for the area and a park in Worthington Springs because it gave a glimpse of old Florida and the rural way of life.

As always, feel free to click the photos for a larger view.

It is near the section of the State featured by Marjorie Rawlings in her novels "The Yearling", and "Cross Creek". To go there is like stepping back in time and pictures like the one below make you almost expect to see Rawlings step out of the mist.

This one too brings up images of warm Summer days and laughter around the swimming hole that is the creek that runs through the area.

I became a little fixated on this bridge that was designed to allow you to walk through the swamp. It had become warped by rain and weather.

To get this shot I laid down on the bridge to get a view no more than a foot above the boards on the bridge. It gives the feeling of literally going down into the swamp and in my mind back to the time of Rawlings.

Back in time to a sense of simple beauty when life too was a lot more simple...

Butterflies are Free

Thank you all for being so patient over this last week. I had a hectic time doing a number of seminars and the blogs have suffered as a result. But never fear... I am back on track and there is a wonderful treat in store. It all started with me reading an article in the New York Times about a rainforest museum in Gainesville, Florida.

Only in Florida

I showed Alex the article and he too was excited to make the trip and take some photos. But, he raised the issue that dare not speak it's name: The ordeal to get there. The trip from Jacksonville to Gainesville involves having to go through two small towns that have little source of revenue and "strictly enforce" the speed limit. Don't believe me? Check out the photo below.

It seems the speed limits were so "strictly enforced" that AAA paid for signs to warn travelors. We made it through ticket free and arrived at the rainforest museum full of anticipation. And, our anticipation was amply rewarded.

the Rainforest Museum

The moment you walk into the museum you are overwhelmed with the sight of a wall of examples of the butterflies you will encounter once you enter the rainforest. This picture does not do justice to the sight.

After viewing the hundreds and hundreds of butterflies you can't wait to get inside and see them first hand. You walk through the door and experience a blast of air which prevents the butterflies flying out and you are instantly transported into the rainforest...

Butterflies are everywhere and you feel yourself instantly calm. It is a beautiful sight.

In addition to the butterflies there are birds that inhabit the facility. I shot these guys having a late lunch.

The museum workers put out fruit and bananas for the butterflies and they willingly fly from station to station to grab a bite of sugar.

And, it is not just the butterflies that are strange and wonderful but also the foliage. Flowers and many unusual trees are abundant.

One I found particularly unusual is this thorn tree. I never was able to find the official name for it but learned it occurs in parts of South America and Asia.


It was so fearsome I took a close up to give you an idea of just how sharp the thorns are.

But back to the butterflies

There were all kinds and I will just add a few more of the hundreds we saw...

We hated to leave but realized we once again had t0 endure the ordeal of those two cities that "strictly enforce" the speed limit on our trip back to Jacksonville. But, I hope these pictures have allowed you to enjoy the rainforest visit as much as we did.