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Butterfly House - General View
General view of the Butterfly House upon entry. The whole house is kept very warm and humid, with exotic plants and many ponds. It was once referred to as the "Swamp House":
The "Butterfly House" was so named because it is teeming with butterflies!
(and because that is what the house is called at the real Tropical World - though the name "Swamp House" is also used colloquially)
Pictured here are crimson banded-black (Bilblis hyperia), Isabella's heliconian (Eueides isabella) and old world swallowtail (Papillio machaon):
"Swamp House" Sign
A relic of the former Swamp House, which is still in place despite the rename to "Butterfly House". All houses at Tropical Oasis have signs like this:
Raised Walkway
Visitors pass through the Butterfly House over a network of bridges and raised walkways:
There are two ways around the Butterfly House. We'll go this way first and then go the other way on our return to the entrance:
Butterfly House Signage Example
An example of the signage present in the Butterfly House - this one for teals. Most species in the Butterfly House are labelled, but not all of them:
Plants
Animals aren't the only attraction at Tropical Oasis - the plants are too. Here's a selection of the exotic plant life to be found within the Butterfly House:
Turtle Pond
The Butterfly House features a number of ponds. This is one of the smaller ones:
This pond is referred to as the "turtle pond" because it is often used by the house's freshwater turtles. Unfortunately for the turtles, ducks have begun to take it over!
Chinese Soft-shell Turtles
Many animals live at liberty in the Butterfly House, and not just butterflies. Here we can see a pair of Chinese softshell turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis), overlooked by a Madagascar teal (Anas bernieri):
Butterfly House - General View
You can see one of the many varieties of butterfly on display - an Isabella's heliconian (Eueides isabella):
Duck Pond
This pond in the centre of the house is often referred to as the "duck pond" because it is mostly frequented by ducks.
Pictured here are a selection of teals - Madagascar teal (Anas bernieri) and green-winged teal (Anas carolinensis):
Yacare Caiman Exhibit
The latest arrivals to the Butterfly House are a pair of Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare). A brand-new, purpose-built exhibit was constructed for them in the corner of the Butterfly House:
The caimans were originally kept in the aquarium section, but they soon grew too large for their enclosure and so had to be moved:
The swampy atmosphere of the Butterfly House makes it the perfect abode for the caimans:
As with every exhibit at Tropical Oasis, the caiman exhibit features its own signage:
The exhibit boasts a shallow pool, lots of vegetation and some rocks. It holds a male and female pair:
The exhibit features a mesh roof to prevent anything from getting in:
The mesh roof doesn't prevent small butterflies from getting in, however!
One last look at the caiman exhibit before moving on:
Butterfly House - General View
General view of the Butterfly House, as seen from the caiman exhibit:
Duck Pond
Another look at the duck pond; this time from a different angle:
A pair of green-winged teals hidden away among the foliage:
Butterfly Signage
Information signs are given to nearly every species on display. Here we can see a sign for butterflies.
A few butterflies can also be seen in the same shot, including a crimson banded-black and an Isabella's heliconian:
Laysan Teals
A laysan teal (Anas laysanensis) hiding away in the foliage:
More laysan teals enjoying a shallow pond. The laysan teals are the most numerable duck species in the Butterfly House:
Butterfly House - General View
Looking back towards the caiman exhibit:
Butterflies
There are four species of butterfly on display at the moment (I say "at the moment" because the number of species is likely to change over time). Here is a crimson banded-black (Biblis hyperia):
By far one of the most elusive creatures in the Butterfly House - and definitely one of the most interesting - is the large atlas moth (Attacus atlas):
Koi Pond
The final pond in the Butterfly House is the largest and it belongs to a collection of Japanese koi carp. Every so often, keepers will allow visitors to feed the koi fish pellets.
Pictured on the surface are yellow-billed ducks (Anas undulata) and green-winged teals (Anas carolinensis).
Unlike the other houses at Tropical Oasis, the Butterfly House isn't restricted to keeping species exclusive to one continent and instead features animals from many different continents (like the yellow-billed ducks from Africa and the green-winged teals from North America, seen here):
Through the water's surface, we catch a glimpse of a trio of colourful Japanese koi carp:
Leaving the Butterfly House
It's time to leave the Butterfly House (for now) and make our way over to the next section - the Aquarium!
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