DBG Butterfly Pavilion

Photo by Thomas Schmied

Photo by Lisa E White

A Scottsdale must-see is the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  Hundreds of butterflies flutter around and land on you in the well-monitored exhibit.  One visit I saw all Monarch Butterflies, known for their long migrations.  Though they only live two months, successive generations make long trips to Mexico, through Arizona, relying somehow on genetic memory.  One Monarch was tracked at 265 miles in one day.  The second butterfly pictured is a Zebra Longwing, not native to Arizona, but common in Florida and the tropics. Once metamorphosed into a butterfly, more than half the life is gone, with mating being their primary purpose.  Spring is the time to visit the Pavilion as it closes on May 13.  I think the best volunteer job is being the person at the exit who uses a feather duster to make sure no butterflies hitchhike out of the pavilion on your back or head.