A short drive from the falls is the Niagara Parks Botanical Garden. A popular feature of the park is the Butterfly Conservatory. Along the way, on River Road, there is an interesting collection of shops. There is the CFX, short for Chocolate Factory Experience. At the other end of the building is the First Nations Crafts and Novelty Store. Between the two, is the Maple Leaf Place Gift Shop. Just the place to pick up those sweet gifts (maybe for yourself) of chocolate, maple syrup and candy, as well as more souvenirs of Niagara Falls and Canada.
The reason for choosing this route home was to see the butterflies. The biological garden is extensive and we got lost looking for the butterfly building. Neither of these looked like the right place. Fortunately GPS works when walking too.
Inside the conservatory building there are trees and flowering plants thriving in an air conditioned greenhouse like building. This is the ideal habitat for the varieties of butterflies that live here. They fly around everywhere, land on the leaves and flowers and even the visitors. This one visited me for a short time, long enough for me to get a few pictures together. I am new to doing selfies.
Here are a few pictures of some of the different butterflies I was able to photograph. Usually a video worked best, then I can choose a good frame from that and add it to this picture gallery.
Many people pick up some blossoms that have fall off of the trees and hold them in their hand or put them on their head or shoulder to attract a butterfly to land on them.
Do not get excited about the big blue butterfly above, it is just plastic art. The best place to photograph the butterflies is at the feeding stations that are set up around the building. They work well for creating video clips too.
The doors into and out of the conservatory are like an air lock. Two doors a few paces apart so that if any of the butterflies try to leave with you, on your head or your back or your shoulder, they can be urged to return to the comfort of their home.
Thank you for the butterfly show, Doug. I was at Niagara once but didn’t know about the garden. The only butterfly I see in my garden is the white cabbage butterflies. I do have milkweed flowers that is suppose to attract butterflies. No colourful ones but I think the bees like them, too. But there’s a shortage of them, too.