Butterfly Rainforest at UF

I just visited the Butterfly Rainforest in the Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Nice collection! Highly recommended.

Link:
UF Butterfly Rainforest

Neat. The Oregon Zoo has had a butterfly exhibit each summer the past few years. I was wearing a red shirt the last time I went in and I was covered with them. I have a few pics somewhere of butterflies in my hair and on my clothes.

I love it when butterflies land on me. There is something about having them around that is both peaceful and exciting. They make the earth seem like a better place when they're around.

I went there on a feild trip for marine biology. Did you see the atlas moths? They're amazing in person. Makes you wonder how something that big can fly

Evil Cheshire said:

I went there on a feild trip for marine biology. Did you see the atlas moths? They're amazing in person. Makes you wonder how something that big can fly

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I did not see the atlas Attacus atlas although they are suppose to be in there. Maybe they were out of them at the point in time I visied? The ones I saw live in the rainforest area were: Danaus plexippus (monarchs), Dryadula phaetusa (banded orange), Dryas julia (Julia), Caligo memnon (owl butterfly), Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho), Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay), Parides arcas (Cattle Heart), and two species I could not ID.

My favorites were the Morpho, Dryadula, and of course Danaus.

I know what you mean about Attacus, an insect with a 12 inch wing span that is non-aerodynamic doesn't seem like it should fly. Beetles give me that same sense of wonderment in flight. Its the biophysics of their muscle attachment that allow them to do the improbable. They are truly amazing.