BUTTERFLIES AT LEWIS GINTNER BOTANICAL GARDEN - THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2026

I was delighted to see that there was an indoor Butterfly Garden inside one of the sections of the greenhouse. Our family very kindly bought us tickets and the four of us had a lovely time looking around. There weren't as many as I have seen in other places but, and I am just guessing here, the sun didn't seem that bright and I seem to remember once being told that they start to get more active when it is shining. You butterfly experts out there can correct me if I'm misremembering. We will be going back and expect to see more next time.

These are called the Common Morpho and my information came from their website here. A few facts are: Common Morpho - Morpho peleides - Family: Nymphalidae - Range: Mexico to Colombia - Wingspan: 5-8 in (12.7 to 20.3 cm) - Fast Fact: Common morphos are attracted to fermenting fruits.

This butterfly is apparently a Postman Butterfly. I was curious about its wing pattern which seemed different to others I saw, also identifying themselves as a Postman. The excerpt below explains it a little bit.  I read on Google: "Like all Postman butterflies, the H. melpomene species has long wings and a primarily black base, but its patterns vary drastically based on where it lives. 

"Regular" Postman (Heliconius melpomene melpomene): the nominal/common form is characterized by a solid, elongated red band across the forewings, and black or faintly iridescent hindwings.

The Plesseni Subspecies (Heliconius melpomene plesseni): instead of a solid red band, the plesseni variety has a distinct pattern sometimes referred to as a "split band." It typically features a reduced red area that is split or rayed, alongside a clear, pale yellow or white stripe near the margin of the hindwing. 

The Postman butterfly is famous for its bright, warning colors (aposematism) to deter predators and its incredible ability to mimic other species. Because it is so widespread throughout Central and South America, this single species has over 30 recognized color variants or subspecies. The plesseni subspecies primarily inahabits the eastern Andes region (such as Ecuador).

If you go to this website at iNaturalist, it will tell you more about the Postman Butterfly. I went down a rabbit hole. There is so much information that I could have been here until sundown. I will go back sometime and read as much as I can. Hopefully I have all my info correct but if you find anything that you disagree with, please feel free to put me straight.

Next comes the Atlas Moth. I had a great chat with a gentleman called Buzz, who had been a volunteer here for many years. He had a great deal of knowledge, telling me he acquired this interest when he was a young boy. I enjoyed my short time with him. I wish it could have been longer but there were others waiting to ask questions. A very interesting gentleman. One of the things he told me was that this moth had somehow got entangled in his cocoon and had difficulty getting out of it. His wings were a bit misshapen and they were hoping they would open more. I didn't even know that could happen.

The information says: Atlas Moth - Attacus atlas - From Southeast Asia, the Atlas moth is one of the largest moths in the world> As a caterpillar, these moths live for 5 weeks and can eat over 200x their body weight in leaves. Once they become an adult moth, they no longer have a mouth and cannot eat. They survive about 7 days as a moth and their main objective is to mate and produce offspring. Added note which I found very interesting: Due to USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) regulations, we must keep adult moths in a separate enclosure where they cannot lay eggs in the exhibit.

This Common Morpho landed on Gregg's back so we carefully removed it. It was time for us to go.

Here are a few do's and don'ts.

It reads: Butterfly Blooms - from top left to top bottom. The other side is printed in Spanish.

DO NOT TOUCH THE BUTTERFLIES: they are very fragile and can get hurt easily. We probably should have asked for help to remove the one from Gregg's back? Next time but we tried to be very gentle. DO NOT TOUCH THE PLANTS OR PICK ANY FLOWERS: Due to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations, we must keep all plants and insects contained in the exhibit.  WATCH YOUR STEP: as butterflies like to sunbathe and drink water from puddles on the floor. NO FOOD OR DRINK: no food or drink allowed in the exhibit except water.

That's the end of this butterfly post. There was a wonderful exhibit inside the visitor center of butterflies and moths, which I took photos of. I will share those soon.  I figured next time I will concentrate on the flowers.

I hope you have enjoyed this post today. 

Thanks for visiting and I

hope your day is a great one.