The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory is pleased to announce the addition of birds! We now have feathered, as well as scaly-winged friends filling the air and delighting our visitors. Our flock includes red-factor canaries, zebra finches, cordon-blue finches and "button" or Chinese painted quail. All are "butterfly friendly," being primarily seed-eaters. They also help us with our smaller pest problems such as ants, aphids and snails.
After a short adjustment period, the birds quickly set about the business of pairing off and setting up housekeeping. We now have several nests and egg-sitting hens throughout the conservatory. The incubation period lasts about 13-16 days, so we are already eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first youngsters.
The tangerine-orange canaries are the real eye-catchers. Like flamingoes, they are fed a specially treated diet to achieve their outstanding color. The males are strong songsters, regaling us with constant, impromptu concerts as they define territory and impress mates.
The zebra finches range in color from pure white to cinnamon brown, gray and black with orange beaks. The cordon-blues are slightly smaller with dusty blue and brown plumage. They are friendly, curious and comical as they go about their daily activities of eating, gathering nesting material and bathing in the waterfalls.
Our round, pudgy, button quail are non-flyers and a bit shy, preferring to avoid the heat and activity of the day by foraging under the trees and foliage. They can be seen strutting across the walkways and dust-bathing in selected spots; and always heard in the background, crowing like miniature roosters.
Our butterflies, not to be outdone, are breathtaking as usual. We've recently received a pupae shipment of over 200 of the ever-popular blue morphos, which are in the process of emerging. We are also having success with some limited in-house breeding. On display are several species of caterpillars in various stages of development, including the Birdwing butterfly and Atlas moth. These can grow to approximately 4-5 inches in length and are quite impressive. If you are lucky enough to witness one in the process of shedding its final skin to form a pupa, the experience can be mesmerizing .
Also fairly new to our learning center are two species of frogs. The poison dart frog from the Amazon jungle and the red-eyed tree frog from South America.
Last, but not least, although the summer heat and humidity outside are indeed oppressive to most ... inside our comfortable climate-controlled greenhouse, our plants continue to bloom and thrive. The conservatory landscape is lush, green and lovely.
So, we here at The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory are flying, fluttering, singing, crowing, wriggling, leaping and most of all ... growing! Please come visit us soon and enjoy!
Susan Wilson
The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory
