Beautiful Butterflies in Benalmadena

Monday, April 07, 2014
Benalmadena, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands
Not much to write today, as the pictures explain themselves. We visited a beautiful Butterfly Park, seeing many, many species of the delicate creatures. The air inside was warm and moist, perfect for tropical butterflies. Our senses were awakened as we walked through the door, with the scents of the flowers, the gentle gurgling sounds of the waterfall and fish in the pond, the chirping of some tropical birds, and of course the sweat trickling down our backs from the high heat and humidity.
The guide showed us the difference between chrysalis (where butterflies emerge) and cocoons (where moths emerge) . We learned that the butterflies were daytime insects and the moths were night time insects. Some of the chrysalis were just glorious; one was completely gold,and a drab, brown butterfly with large eye-like features emerged. Another was a lime green, with gold dots around the top, and I think it was an orange and black butterfly that emerged, looking a lot like a Monarch butterfly but smaller. We never saw any moths emerge though, as they're night time creatures.
We were taken by the foliage and beautiful display of flowers. We came away with some good ideas for displaying our orchids at home. Butterflies love orchids, and we saw an orchid that was purple and white and star-shaped. Very attractive.
There was also a chameleon and an iguana hidden in the foliage, with numerous multi-coloured birds flitting about. The chameleon looked as if it was swaying to the beat of the background music playing in the room.
We don't know the names of most of the butterflies in the pictures, but just enjoyed their beauty, their fragility and their interaction with the many other butterflies and visitors in the building.
Leaving the Park, we wound our way down through the "urbanisation" of Benalmadena, down to the beach, where we enjoyed a cold drink and some sun. It's amazing how there's still so much heat in the sun, well past 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
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Comments

Annie Lee
2014-04-08

Thank you so much for sharing your travels with us. It has allowed us to think beyond the snow and the long winter. Nicer days now.Rain and wind today.Therapy keeps me on the road.

Chris
2014-04-08

Beautiful pictures!

2025-02-07

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