Wings of Wonder -- beautiful butterflies in Independence, Oregon

First off, if you're looking for a video that shows butterfly sex (and why wouldn't you be?) -- you've found it!

Disclaimer: there is a human variety of "butterfly sex," and there is the authentic kind, what butterflies themselves do. This blog post is all about authenticity.

Yesterday my wife and I took visiting relatives, my sister and brother-in-law, to a wonderful local attraction that we'd never been to before: Wings of Wonder in Independence, Oregon. If you love butterflies (and who doesn't?) this is a must-see if you're in the area.

For us rural south Salemites, getting to Wings of Wonder was just a short drive down Buena Vista Road, followed by a pleasant ferry trip across the Willamette River.

If you're arriving via the ferry, keep on going straight onto a gravel road (Willamette Ferry Street) when you get to the stop sign. There's no sign for Wings of Wonder at the intersection. Have fluttering faith, head on down the unpaved road, and soon you'll come to the educational center on the left -- which we were told recently became an official non-profit organization.

I'd never been to a butterfly exhibit. At least, not one where the butterflies are flying around within a large tropical plant-filled enclosure kept at 90 degrees. But my sister and her husband had been to four or five. They said Wings of Wonder was the best.

After being escorted in through double doors, to prevent butterfly escapes, and getting some instruction about how to conduct ourselves (such as "look down, some butterflies rest on the floor"), we spent an exceedingly pleasant 45 minutes or so admiring the wide variety of colorful butterflies.

Uplifting music is played, most appropriately.

Biggest thrills, both on the video: (1) Having a butterfly alight on my hand and stay a while, even though, so far as I know, I bear no resemblance to a flower, and (2) Watching a couple of butterflies have sex.

Which, before you get excessively excited and rush to my You Tube production, isn't very action packed. In fact, there was no action at all.

Either butterflies practice a form of tantric sex, a Zen variety of contemplative mating, or the male had died after doing his reproductive thing. I'll go with the first theory, being a happier option, but a Wings of Wonder employee seemed inclined to the second when we asked what was going on with the motionless entwined pair.

Enjoy the video.

Comments

[Carol Ann]

Loved watching the video, even though I only saw shots of my head!

[Bpaul]

Never knew about this place, thanks for the heads up.

Bp

[celestial elf]

Interesting Post :D
thought you might like my machinima film the butterfly's tale~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fO8SxQs-E
Bright Blessings
elf ~