1221 February 25, 2025 Butterflies And Balconies

The sun was shining today!!!

I walked again in the neighborhood surrounding the campground.  It was less noisy there than along the main road.

We packed our lunch and then drove the Jeep into Key West.  We found free parking at Higgs Beach.  We took our bikes off and cycled to Duvall Street.  We bought tickets and went in to see the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy.  The antechamber has lots of information about the anatomy and biology of butterflies.  We browsed there, reading a few of the displays.  

We entered the conservancy through a set of double doors and there were butterflies flitting all around us.  I could hear the whisper of their wings.  I could feel a tickle as they grazed my arms as they fluttered by.

Tim asked “Do I have a butterfly on my hat?”  It stayed there for several minutes as he walked through the beautiful tropical garden.

The habitat is kept at 80 degrees with 80% humidity. The plants are lush and green with a dazzling array of blooming flowers. There must be an accomplished group of scientists that run this operation.

The conservancy gets 300-500 chrysalises from around the world each week.   Most of the butterflies were Blue Morphs.  They come from Costa Rica.  Brown and ordinary when their wings are together…

Stunning iridescent blue when their wings are open.

There are more than 50 varieties of butterflies here.

The butterflies emerge from their cocoons here in a butterfly nursery.  It may take 1-2 days for their wings to dry.  Once they are able to fly, they are released into the garden. 30 to 50 butterflies are released each day.

There were lots of lovely flowers including many varieties of orchids.

And butterflies love orchids.

There were lots of smaller birds.  It was like a scavenger hunt to spot them scattered among the thick emerald foliage.

There was a pair of flamingos, Scarlett and Rhett.  It is mating season and they were courting.

Rhett was making a terrific racket trying to get her attention but initially she ignored him.

I absolutely loved this most magical experience.  Adults were giggling with delight and wonder.  I felt giddy! Several people walked around with butterflies perched on their hats and in their hair.  We have been to Key West lots of times and I cannot believe that I never knew about this place before. I could have stayed all day! By the time we reached the end of the tour, the line to get in zigzagged down the sidewalk.

We hopped back on our bikes and rode through the streets of Key West. There was a cruise ship in town and there were people everywhere! We made our way back toward Higgs Beach and rode out onto the pier. We sat watching the water.

We put the bikes back on the Jeep and drove over to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We found a nice shaded table near the water and had our picnic.

We went back to the campground to rest and shower.

This evening, we had reservations at Bagatelle’s. The very first time that we came to Key West, we went to Bagatelle’s for dinner. Now, its is part of our tradition to have dinner here. We always ask for a table on the second floor balcony. It is fun from there to watch Duval Street and all the happenings and people.

We had a delicious bottle of UNO Malbec, mussels to share and then Tim enjoyed Swordfish and I chose lobster fettuccini with spinach and grilled tomatoes…outstanding…all of it!

After dinner, Tim was on a mission. He led me directly to Baklava where we purchased two more pieces of that amazing baklava. We sat on the bench outside the shop and ate until there was nothing left…licking our sticky fingers. We were full and we needed to walk.

We wandered around Key West.

We stopped several times to stand on the sidewalk and listen to live music.

Just another day in paradise!