Mariposas de Mindo-Butterfly Garden

Our final stop before driving back to Quito was the mariposario, or butterfly farm, of Mindo. This magical place is home to over 25 species of butterfly. The farm can be inhabited by up to 1,200 butterflies.

There were so many wonderfully colorful varieties of butterfly, but the most prominant was the blue morpho. Similar to the owl butterfly (pictured below), the blue morpho has large eye shaped patterns on its outer wing. When it opens up to fly, however, the top is a vibrant blue. The Blue Morphos are the largest butterfly at the farm, and when they are flapping around they can be seen from a great distance. I remember briefly spotting one off in the distance in Costa Rica, but seeing them up close really gave us a chance see how beautiful they really are.

The greenhouse-like space is packed full of exhibits explaining each stage of a butterfly’s life-cycle, and we even got to watch as a butterfly emerged from its chrysalis.

It’s difficult to describe the feeling of being swarmed by such a large number of butterflies. You can’t help but laugh as they land on your arm, or shoulder, or even your head. It can make you feel like a little kid again.

We were only planning on staying at the butterfly farm for about an hour, but before we knew it, three hours had passed! We were so caught up in shooting video, taking photographs, and just having fun playing with the butterflies that we lost track of time.