Visiting Monteverde Mariposas (Written By Joselyn)

Today's blog is a guest post by global navigator Joselyn in climate change mitigation cohort 3! Joselyn reflects on their experience visiting the Monteverde Mariposa (butterfly) Garden:

"On Friday, we got to visit the Monteverde Butterfly Garden. I was super excited because I love all types of butterflies, especially the Monarch and the Blue Morpho, which are found in Costa Rica.

We began our tour with a presentation about the different insects and arachnids of Costa Rica. Our presenter was very knowledgeable and her sense of humor made it very entertaining. She wanted to show how harmless some of the bugs of Monteverde were despite the myths surrounding them. To demonstrate this, she put a stick bug in her hair, showed us a close-up of a giant cockroach named Tim, and even put him in her mouth! 

Then we toured the butterfly enclosures. The first one had many different species, including the famous Blue Morpho Butterfly. As one of the largest butterflies, the Blue Morpho is a unique sight. On the inside, it has wings with iridescent scales that reflect and bend light to appear blue, a color that is rarely found in nature. But when their wings are closed, they are brown with makeshift "eyes" that camouflage and ward off predators. 

Another enclosure housed a type of butterfly called Heliconians, or Longwings. These butterflies are actually toxic, which is announced to predators with the bright colors and patterns on their wings.

It was interesting to get to learn about these organisms while seeing them up close. Even though I came to see the butterflies, I enjoyed seeing the underappreciated creatures, like tarantulas! Overall, the Monteverde Butterfly Garden was a great way to spend the morning while staying dry."