Butterfly World in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I had a lay over once, in the Singapore Changi Airport.  It was a layover that promised, something that all layovers promise, a couple of hours of nothing to do.  But that promise was broken, as in this airport there is much to do.  People are coming to the Changi Airport in Singapore, just to pass the time, just to experience all that this international airport has to offer.  What happened to me there was the the beginning of quest, to go to every Butterfly garden in every city I was in, at any given moment.  Yes, this airport has a butterfly garden, a calming and peaceful respite from the hours spent in lines, waiting for luggage, and cramped up in small spaces for long periods of time.

When I landed in Florida, and found my room in one of the luxury hotels, Fort Lauderdale became my oyster…my oyster that I knew, I just knew contained a pearl there somewhere inside.  Do I like beaches?  For sure.  But not in the usual sense.  I like them on cold winter nights and during the middle of really great summer storm.  My pearl in this oyster was to find a butterfly garden, and that I did.  It is called Butterfly World, and it is a place wherein you can walk through clouds, through thousands of butterflies that seem just as interested you, as you are in them.

This park is the largest of its kind in the world.  The planners, the researchers, the entomologists and Ronald Boender spent years constructing the exactly right habitat for butterflies to flourish.  The park opened in the spring of 1988 and includes not only the butterfly gardens but a farm, aviaries, botanic gardens and a research center.  The center was responsible for a campaign to “bring back the butterflies” which not only celebrated these delicate creatures, but sent out pamphlets and information regarding environmental conditions, plant guides and the way in which everything is connected…in all geographical locations and climates.  In my search for the best of the best, I found this park in Fort Lauderdale by accident.  I am hoping that soon, my best of the best clam chowder quest, will so easily and spontaneously be accomplished.  However, that particular quest has gone on for at least 15 years, so we shall see…