December 5, 2022
BUTTERFLY WONDERLAND
9500 East Via de Ventura F100, Scottsdale, AZ 85256
“Butterfly Wonderland, featuring the largest butterfly conservatory in the country with thousands of fluttering butterflies, transports guests of all ages to the rainforest by immersing them in the world of butterflies and other rainforest animals. Live exhibits connect people to nature through a sensory experience that educates, entertains, and provides a refuge from the outside world.” – visitphoenix.com
This was the fourth butterfly conservatory/habitat I have experienced in the past year. All are similar, a greenhouse-type structure with paths wandering about a garden with a water feature of some type. All have been fascinating. Scottsdale’s Butterfly Wonderland is the largest facility I’ve been in and had the more butterflies than any one of the others. The room was hot and humid, it took a good twenty minutes for my camera lens to stop fogging over. It wasn’t until I left the room and felt how damp my shirt was that I realized how much I had been sweating. As a result of the room’s conditions, the butterflies were very active making it a challenge to capture good photos of some of the species, but it was fun trying. I’m not sure how many butterfly species were represented, but there were a lot. After leaving the room there was a nice collection of reptiles that inhabit the rain forests across the world.
The facility advertised a 3D movie and I saw the closed door to the theater with no signs and no one around to ask when the next showing was, so I skipped it.
In the end, I enjoyed my visit. The only thing that would keep me from returning would be the cost of admission, which was a little steep.