Frolic in the Foliage

Dive into the deep, dark Green.

On the way to the butterflies in my last post:

Butterfly Exhibition

I had to pass through the botanical greenhouses.

I was completely dazzled by the variety of

colours,

textures

and shapes.

Some have foliage as bright as any tropical flower

As prickly as your worst enemy

As wildly creative as a paint-splattered canvas

As fashionable as fuchsia-coloured silk 

As daring as lime-green swords

As glowing as the rays of the sun 

As subtle as a bright red blush 

As ghostly as silver-dusted fingers

As deadly as blood-tipped teeth

As mystical as an old man's beard

And as unforgettably violet as this v-shaped leaf.

For anyone who is still stuck in the beige and greys of spring's exit like I am, I hope you enjoyed this (greenhouse) trip to the tropics.

In Friday's post I'll feature my favourite greenhouse flowers.

Butterfly Exhibition

Rice paper - Idea leucone

Here are more photos from my visit to the

Montreal Botanical Indoor Butterfly Exhibition.

As  you can see there are plenty of plants

for the butterflies to perch on.

Fruits are set out, stacked one on top of the other

allowing us to watch (and photograph) the butterflies that drank the nectar.

There are a number of water features as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the soothing sound of the water as it gurgled over the stones into the pond.

Small troides - Troides rhadamantus

Below is a butterfly nursery.

The butterflies you see dangling above, have emerged from their cocoons and are waiting for their wings to harden.

It's hard to believe that one side of their wings is the colour above, while the other side is this stunning blue colour (below).

Blue morpho - Morpho helenor

Having spent the last 5 months with Winter's whiteness,

these vivid colours were a wonderful treat for my eyes.

Dryadula phaetusa

The butterflies glide freely throughout the two storey room,

stopping for a break on whatever is closest:

a camera, a head, jacket, even a pant leg!

Monarch - Danaus plexus

I call the photo below: Colour Explosion

Tailed jay - Graphium agamemnon

By comparison,

Cobra moth - Attacus atlas

 this gorgeous Cobra moth was easy to miss

as it blended so well with the branches and trees it chose to perch on.

Common Mormon - Papilio polytes

Some of the butterflies had tattered wings, a sad reminder

of how fragile they are and how short their lifespan is.

The Exhibit was thoughtful enough to provide us with an identity sheet

for 32 of the butterfly and moth species present.

The one above and below were not named and I have no idea what they are.

I'll settle for calling them both: Beautiful!

On Wednesday I'll feature some of the flowers

that I saw in the greenhouses along the way :)