BLOOMING BUTTERFLIES

Blooming Butterflies at the Como Zoo | Minneapolis, MN

Hundreds of butterflies from Africa, Asia and the Americas are flying freely in an indoor garden environment filled with tropical plants over at the Como Zoo located in Minneapolis, MN. The exhibit runs through the summer and ends Sptember 4th. To walk through the zoo is completely free, but accepts donations.

My girlfriend, mom and 1 month old daughter took a trip today to the zoo and i was able to capture some great photos. I was a little bummed out i didn't bring my canon 7D, but i did have my trusty iPhone 7plus. I have to say, I am really impressed at how good this camera works and happy that I always have it with me.

---

The Giant Owl

They are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America.

Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few meters at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around.

---

The Tailed Jay

The Tailed Jay is a predominantly green and black tropical butterfly that belongs to the swallowtail family. The butterfly is also called the green-spotted triangle, tailed green jay, or green triangle.

---

The Paper Kite

The paper kite butterfly only has two rather common colors, black and white. These butterflies come from Malaysia and the Philippines and Southeast Asia in general. They are also known as the white tree nymph, or rice paper. Some lepidopterists call this butterfly the large tree nymph to distinguish it from a similarly colored, smaller butterfly, the Ideopsis juventa or small wood nymph. Both of these butterflies are part of the brush-footed butterflies, or family Nymphalidae.

---

It was truly amazing to be in a room with these butterflies freely flying around us. Although none landed on us, it was still an awesome experience. These creatures are a flying work of art.
Mother Nature did good!