Butterfly Gardens, Victoria B.C. 18 May 2015

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No trip to Vancouver Island is complete without <br />a visit to the Butterfly gardens... as soon as we entered, Mary-Ann was greeted by this little <br />fellow, a Hypolimnas bolina from the Philippines... a fruit covered table acts as a <br />convenient gathering spot... the Giant Owl butterfly, Caligo memnon, <br />from Costa Rica... a Partheno sylvia, or Brown Clipper <br />from South East Asia... a pair of Hypolimnas bolna's on Sarah's cap... otherwise known as the Great Eggfly butterfly... Graphium agamemnon or Tailed Jay, <br />from the Philippines... the butterfly hatchery... with hundreds of pupae waiting to open... butterflys can be seen in the <br />process of emerging... another Hypolimnas bolina... the Flamingo pond... Amazon parrot... a Heliconius hecale, or Tiger Longwing,<br />found from Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon... a Brown Clipper, or Parthenos sylvia, <br />from Asia... a Papilio polytes, or Common Mormon <br />found in all parts of south Asia... a Giant Owl Butterfly... a movable feast... green Parrot, from Papua New Guinea... an Idea leuconoe, or White Tree Nymph... Jean-Paul and Sarah... in quiet contemplation... a Catonephele mexicana, or Mexican Shoemaker,<br />from central America... Caligo memnon, from Costa Rica... a Myselia cyaniris, or Tropical Blue Wing,<br />found from Mexico to Peru... a Papilio rumanzovia or Scarlet Mormon butterfly, <br />from the Philippines... Ian with a Hypolimnas bolina... the Attacus atlas or Great Atlas moth, an enormous <br />insect with a wingspan over 8 inches... Sarah next to the Atlas moth cage... Atlas moths have a very short life cycle. The eggs hatch into catepillers after <br />about 14 days. They are in the pupae stage for about a month, and after <br />emerging, the adult moths only live for about two more weeks... adult Atlas moth... Sarah... a Papilio memnon or Great Mormon, <br />from the Philippines... the amphibian exhibit... full of remarkable little creatures... the exquisite and dangerous poison dart frogs <br />from Central and South America... Jean-Paul, Sarah and Mary-Ann... Ian and Mary-Ann... Jean-Paul and Sarah with "Picasso"... a Blue Crowned Conure from Argentina... Heliconius erato, or Red Spot longwing,<br />from northern South America... a Hypolimnas bolina and Pitcher Plant <br />from South East Asia... the Giant Atlas Moth caterpiller... Attacus atlas... Sarah with "Picasso", hiding under his wing... Flamingos... Bruce, Jean-Paul, Sarah, Ian and Mary-Ann, <br />Victoria B.C... Bruce, Jean-Paul, Sarah, Ian and Ida... the Gulf Islands at dusk.