Hotels Near Safari Park San Diego | "Flutter over to the San Diego Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle"

Source        : http://www.sandiegolovesgreen.com
Category    : Hotels Near Safari Park San Diego
By              : Lydia Wisz
Posted By   : San Diego Rancho Bernardo CA Hotels

Ever imagine being immersed in a spectacle of dazzling color hovering ever so gently in the air surrounding you? This is what you will find when you come to Butterfly Jungle, which takes place at the San Diego Safari Park in Escondido, CA from Saturday, March 16th through Sunday, April 7th.

Safari Park

For over 20 years, Safari Park has brought curiosity and wonderment and joy to so many — particularly kids. This year, safari park will feature a variety of 30 species in their specially made Hidden Jungle Aviary. These butterflies originate from as far as Africa, Asia and Central and South America with distinguishing names like Common Blue Morpho, Giant Owl, Belus Swallowtail, Paper Kite, Zebra Long Wing, Orange Julia, Monarch, Pink Rose Swallowtail, Tailed Jay, Banded Purple Wing, Gulf Fritillary, Grecian Shoemaker, Postman and Golden Heliconid. Identification cards will be displayed in the exhibit to help guests recognize the individual species.

It is almost hard to believe that this day-flying insect, which undergoes complete metamorphosis from egg to larva, then to pupa and lastly to adult butterfly, is, transformed into something so radiant. It’s an aesthetic marvel to view these delicate insects in a cornucopia of bright, vibrant colors use their very slender antennas to navigate their surroundings. When these elegant invertebrates land on something, they fold their wings literally above their backs. When they fly, basking in the sunlight is what they seem to enjoy.  Upon visiting the aviary, it is recommended to wear bright colors to increase the chance of having a close encounter with the butterflies, but with a proviso to being careful not to touch their delicate exteriors.

On February 28th, 2013 Safari Park got its first pupae shipment from Costa Rica, and it contained 500 of the butterfly pupae. Butterflies are farmed in rain forests such as those found in Costa Rica. This farming is sustainable and minimizes any harmful impact that takes its toll on the environment. In a two-fold manner, Safari Park supports the promotion of rain forest conservation while it leaves the butterfly farmers to maintain the unspoiled land for the act of caring properly for the butterfly. Similarly, the assiduous care required for the animal care staff to follow is reflected in a detail-oriented format in which they sort and count the pupae in a climate-controlled room, then carefully take an additional step of pinning the insect’s silk attachment into a designated area within the special butterfly facility.

As it stands, one of the biggest threats to butterflies comes from habitat change and further loss from residential, commercial and agricultural development as well as climate change. Animal care manager, Don Sterner, explained to me when the pupae eventually emerge from their chrysalis, they are then put into a special wire box where they are released into the park’s aviary, which measures 90 x 40 x 35. Again, because of the much-needed care that these beautiful creatures require, the aviary is temperature controlled and kept in the mid-80s.

Considering the variety of endangered butterfly species that currently exist, The San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is enthusiastically committed to supporting and protecting these species from further demise. This Conservancy is comprised of the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research and many other international programs in the field.

This exhibit continues to grow in popularity, and this year the guest experience is enhanced through the use of Instagram, which is now a feature of the exhibit. By using the hashtag #butterflyjungle, Instagram users can post photos to be viewed by staff at Safari Park who will choose a guest photo as a winner each week of the exhibit. Lastly, access to the beautiful world of the Butterfly Jungle is included upon admission to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.