Attractions Blog

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Although one of the rules at the Key West Butterfly and Naure Conservatory is to not touch the butterflies, if you stand very still, moths and butterflies of all sizes, shapes and colors will land on your head, shoulders, and arms and cling to your clothes.

Visitors can identify between 50 and 60 species of butterflies on any given day in the Conservatory, and over the year, approximately 75 species are represented. The butterflies come from farms in the tropics, where they are bred in captivity. On the farms, the eggs are hatched and the caterpillars fed until they pupate into a chrysalis. The chrysalises are then shipped to the Butterfly conservatory and placed in an incubator that sits behind a glass wall, allowing visitors to watch as mature butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and spread their colorful wings to dry.

After a short rest the new butterflies are released into the main Conservatory, a climate-controlled, glass-enclosed habitat that looks like a giant greenhouse. Inside a tropical paradise awaits: lush tropical plants surround a creek that is home to box turtles, and a variety of colorful birds flit from tree branches to feeders, sharing the ripe fruit that is set out as food for the butterflies.

In the morning you may see many butterflies feeding or basking in the sun. Later in the day some butterflies, like the Owls, become active while others start to roost. The Owl butterflies are the largest in the Conservatory, with a wingspan of up to eleven inches wide. On the other end of the spectrum, determined viewers can often spot the Oak Leaf Miner, a tiny moth with a wingspan of less than a quarter of an inch. And since most butterflies live an average of only ten days, every visit to the butterfly house is a new experience.

In addition to the Butterfly and Nature Conservancy, Key West offers a multitude of interesting activities and attractions for the Florida visitor.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Ann Weibel