The Butterfly House

I went to Chester Zoo on Monday and spent Tuesday in bed recovering from the effort – but it was worth it. I took 763 photos so I have a little bit of sorting and editing to do! Since my last visit the zoo has added a Butterfly House and being a butterfly addict I spent a while in there, walking around with a butterfly on my cap. It liked the pale colour and every time it left it, or another, landed there again. Just about everybody passing through managed to tell me about it.


It’s obviously something the butterfly house is used to – no sooner had this young girl arrived than one landed on her cap.


Fortunately they have a mirror by the door so you can check you aren’t taking any out with you.



This is a Blue Morpho (Morpho melenaus). There were a lot of them about.


This is an Owl Butterfly (Caligo idomeneus ) so-called for its large eyespot on the underside of the hind wings.


The Owl Butterfly rests with its wings closed so you have to be quick to get a photo of its upperside as it lands or takes off.


This is a Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus).


This is a Papilio species - I haven't worked out which one yet.


A White Tree Nymph (Idea Leoconue ).


A Heliconius species.


This is the Great Eggfly ( Hypolimnas bolina ).


This is a Great Orange Tip (Hebomoia glaucippe).


There were not that many different species compared to a normal butterfly house but that may be partly due to it being early in the season and the fact that the house has only recently opened. What they lacked in variety they certainly made up for in numbers.