Butterflies Live!

 

At the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History today we visited the 'Betterflies Live!' exhibit.

 

Once we had passed through the airlock and inside it was hot, humid and very bright, with many butterflies fluttering about and landing on flowers, visitors and, most perilously, the floor.

 

The most beautiful large blue butterflies are very elusive to capture, closing their wings as soon as they land.

 

The Swallowtails, Monarchs and other smaller butterflies were more easily captured with the camera.

 

 

Probably the most extraordinary creature in the butterfly tunnel was this Atlas Moth.  Not flying free but inside a mesh enclosure, it was difficult to photograph well despite its huge size - it has a 6-8 inch wingspan!  That would be quite something to be fluttering at your window or around your lamp at night!!