I had a few hours to kill before my flight to Darwin. That was plenty of time for me to head to Kuranda and see the (drumroll)… butterfly sanctuary! I’m obsessed with butterflies so the excitement mounted as I headed back into the rain forest. Kuranda’s main attraction is a gondala that goes from Cairns to the little rainforest town, but I didn’t think it was worth the $50. The other main attractions are a series of sanctuaries; birds, koalas, and butterflies. Learning that this butterfly sanctuary is the largest in Australia, I knew I had to go.
I parked my car and skipped into the building. Just kidding I walked. After paying $20 I headed through the plastic curtains into a pretty little garden. Immediately I saw butterflies everywhere! They flew so close that I could feel the air flutter against my skin. The butterflies were all different colors and sizes, and I felt like a kid walking through the garden.
I could go on about how stupidly giddy I was at the butterfly sanctuary, but instead I’ll get on with it and show you some pictures. I’ll also share some of the interesting facts I learned about butterflies while I was there.
Butterflies can move each of their 4 wings independently.
Butterflies have receptors on their front feet, so they taste whatever they land on.
Butterflies need to drink nectar about every 30 minutes.
The butterfly nectar used in the sanctuary is a mix of water, sugar, vitamins and minerals.
Butterflies are attracted to flowers by the color of the petals.
Butterflies’ and bees’ vision is towards the ultraviolet end of the light spectrum.
Butterflies identify each other by individual ultraviolet markings.
There are 24,000 different butterfly species in the world.
I feel like a Disney Princess! Come to me little butterflies!
I had been in the garden for an hour and it was soon time for me to leave. I was sad though because I had seen butterflies land on a couple people and I really wanted one to land on me (silly I know). As I headed to the exit this beauty landed on my hand. A kid also yelled that I had some in my hair. I guess I got my wish!
According to the poster of which butterflies were in the Aviary, I did not see a Ulysses butterfly. However I did see several on my visit to the Daintree. I didn’t see a Hercules Moth either, which is apparently huge. I guess you can’t have everything.
My visit to the Butterfly Sanctuary well worth my time and money. It’s a fun and informative place that I would recommend to anyone.
Leave a Reply