When you are retired, on Wednesdays in September you can treat yourself to extravagant breakfasts in Vienna, Austria. This café was popular with folks of all ages: university students were sharing brunch and studying; business people were meeting for coffee and important conversations; and wandering tourists like us were there to enjoy the food and the neighborhood.
After savoring our delicious meal, Joe surprised Sarah with a tour of Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly House), established in 1990 as a cooperative project between private and public institutions. There are 40 different species of tropical butterflies from sustainable butterfly farms in Costa Rica, Belize, Surinam, Thailand and the Philippines. The farms send pupae to Schmetterlinghaus where they hatch and fly free around visitors. None of the butterflies at Schmetterlinghaus are endangered species.
Only a few of the species breed in the conservatory, as caterpillars eat species-specific plants and the building is not large enough to accommodate all of the plants that would be needed to feed hundreds of different caterpillars. We learned the Owl butterfly generally lays her eggs on banana leaves and the Heliconius species on passion flower leaves. Our familiar Monarch caterpillar we know eats only milkweed and is one of the few species that reproduces in the conservatory. All the plants in the Butterfly House are free of pesticides and are propagated by the Österreichischen Bundesgärten (Federal Gardens of Austria).
Shortly after entering the palatial greenhouse, a tattered Owl butterfly attached itself to Joe. Visitors are encouraged to move slowly and many people are anxious to get the Insta-perfect selfie with a butterfly perched on their outstretched hand. Joe exudes calm and peace and this older butterfly knew it was safe to hang out on Joe for the afternoon. After many minutes, Joe slowly started to walk up the path to the top of the waterfall and his buddy stayed attached to him. Joe gave up trying to dislodge his new friend and continued to explore the rest of the Butterfly House.
When it was finally time to leave, Joe gently moved “his” butterfly to a nectar stand where it hopefully felt safe as it was likely near the end of its short life (average 130 days).
We later learned that the male owl butterfly is known to spend its days drinking fermented juices of rotting fruits in the insect equivalent of dive bars and takes to the skies at dusk drunkenly seeking aerial combat with other males. That explains the tattered wings!
Where in the world are the Gills? 