Flitting About

More of our "English Family" is visiting Fuengirola this week (Truly Great Nephew Jack's grandparent's and his aunt, our niece, Ericka). Today, we rented a car and drove to the Mariposario (Butterfly Park) of Benalmádena, the town just east of us along the coast. We had heard good things, so were looking forward to the visit. But, to say we were pleasantly surprised just doesn't cut it. It was, as Ericka so perfectly put it, "lovely." From the outside, the building is Thai in style with many of the structural elements brought from Thailand. Inside, Paradise.

No need to bore you with the details of the 2,000 m2 (more than 21,000 sf) building or the more than 1,500 butterflies. The plantings are beautiful. The butterflies have the company of iguanas (we didn't see them) and tropical birds. I took 105 photos, but somehow managed to not display them all here. (And, let me tell you, that wasn't easy.)

BIRDERFLY (NOT REALLY).

"THE CATERPILLAR DOES ALL THE WORK, BUT THE BUTTERFLY GETS ALL THE PUBLICITY."

— GEORGE CARLIN

CLICK TO ZOOM.

MY FAVORITE, THE PERFECTLY NAMED GLASSWINGED BUTTERFLY.
(CLICK TO ENLARGE.)

VIEW OF SOME OF THE INTERIOR FROM THE UPPER DECK
(WHERE WE DIDN'T SEE THE IGUANAS WE WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH.)
CLICK FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE.

THESE ARE REAL!  EDWARDS ATLAS MOTHS FLY ONLY AT NIGHT; MALE AT TOP.
AT 25 CM (9.8 INC.), THEY'RE ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST SPECIES.

POSING ON THE FLOOR (IN THE SUN) AS WE RELUCTANTLY SAID "ADIOS."