Butterflies from Out of Town

 My summer experiment will be complete in only two more weeks, so I've been reviewing the summer and realized I forgot to write about one very special adventure: the butterfly exhibit. There is a botanical gardens conservatory in downtown Fort Wayne, which I really appreciated when I lived here before, especially in February, when it was still so cold and dark and I longed for spring. But in May and June, the conservatory has a special butterfly exhibit, which I'll explain more in a minute. 

One of my friends and caregivers this summer is Danielle, and one of the (many) things I love about our time together is that it usually involves her family. She has two daughters, an unofficially-adopted daughter, a husband, and a dog named Smudge. They have all visited my apartment and helped in their own unique ways... it's very cool. Anyway, Danielle and her three girls and I decided to spend a couple hours of a particularly hot day in June at the butterfly exhibit. 

The conservatory has three main spaces - the Showcase Garden, the Tropical Garden, and the Desert Garden. As we entered the Showcase Garden, we saw a large white tent set up in the middle of the room; this is where the butterflies are. See, they import butterflies from other countries around the world, and set them loose in the tent. In one corner is an incubator of sorts, holding dozens of cocoons, to replenish the supply. 

Guests have to go through an entrance into a small foyer-type room, where we receive instructions about how to interact properly with the butterflies. A screen door is quickly opened for us and shut behind us, to keep the butterflies inside, and suddenly we're in a bright garden alive with butterflies of all colors, shapes, and sizes. We giggled as they landed on our hair, our clothes, and our fingers. One perched on my knee and would not be swept away; she wanted a ride around the garden. Because it was a hot and sunny day, the butterflies were particularly active, so we had to be a little careful not to trample them or butt heads with them as they skipped across our path. We felt like princesses among all this beauty! 

Eventually we decided it was time to leave, so we were quickly ushered through another screen door into another small outer room, which was full of rotating fans on high speed. A man with gloves on explained that if any butterflies escaped, it could be harmful to the ecosystem in Fort Wayne, since they are not natives here. So he had to be especially vigilant to make sure they weren't hiding in our hair or clothes. He took special care in inspecting my wheelchair (surprisingly, more care than the TSA officers do in an airport). I tried to reassure him that I was "butterfly free," but he said they sometimes lay eggs, the size of a pinpoint! Can you imagine, me (unknowingly, of course) smuggling butterfly eggs out of the garden, taking them home with me, and waking up one morning to an apartment full of baby butterflies?? It somehow feels like an Amelia Bedelia story to me... especially when I think about how they would get loose and wreak havoc on the city!

Once we were thoroughly de-butterflied, and they were shooed back into the tent, we visited the tropical garden, where we found birds-of-paradise plants and cacao (chocolate) trees, and the desert garden where we found cacti and prickly pears. All around, a delightfully girly day!