Show S' ''JT a & f Hiv'an Maa f"7 Focus Weddings 22 Happenings 27 The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday Mk y An inhabitant of the exhibit takes a rest on one 21 April 14 1996 A £" 'Sy of the many brightly colored flowers that can be found there ON DELICATE WINGS E being creatures that you could find in your own back yard — if you look the time and looked hard enough — butterflies have incredible drawing power The scene at Salt Lake City's Hogle Zoo on a recent sunny afternoon proved this As children with parents in tow scampered past elephants and monkeys polar bears and camels many an enthusiastic ay of “Let’s go see the butterflies!" could be heard Sure the orangutan b neat and you know there aren't too many places you can go to see a giraffe in Utah But just as intriguing for many animal lovers b an exhibit of these tiny colorful winged beasts — a display that truly b different born standard zoo fare “It's something that has never been seen before" zoo marketing director Andrew Wallace said Step into “Butterfly World" past a curtain of chains and you soon see the appeal Going beyond the idea of having an animal in a cage the exhibit b practically a world in and of itself complete with the lush vegetation and exotic flowers on w hich the butterflies feed: petite indigo butterfly bush Spanish dagger and umbrella tree to name a few Brilliant --colored hummingbirds and a waterfall add to the tropical effect fool greenhouse b just The climate in the 3300-squar- e right too For the butterflies that b The humidity and temperatures are a bit jarring to the desert folk w ho walk through the greenhouse but hey — that's just part of the experience WTiilc the zoo requests human visitors not touch the butterflies (so as not to risk damaging the scales on their wings) no bars or windows separate people from these graceful insects You can even try to attract them if you warn “They're very curious creatures" Wallace said “If you wear bright colors or floral prints they might land on vou Thev investigate to see if it's something that has food" The only barrier b a glass case housing delicate chrysalises the “pupa" stage of a butterfly's life w hen a pudgy caterpillar b preparing to emerge as an elegant airborne adult The bunet flics ail tuiiit to Norik America are shipped as pupa from butterfly farms in Florida They are then pinned to styrofoam rods in the display case where a waiting game begins “It all depends on the sunlight" zoo worker Linda Middleton said of how long it takes a butterfly to “hatch" “It’s 70 degrees here all year but they won't come out until it's bright enough" Once it is and the insect is ready the chrysalis splits d butterfly with crumpled wings open and comes out “Like a baby chick it comes out wet" Middleton said “Then it goes through something that's been called a 'shower of blood' as its digestive juices squirt out and it pumps its wings" When that process b complete the butterfly has a slender body and its wings — which get their striking coins from pigments and the way light reflects off scales — assume proper shape A zoo worker then opens the case to let the butterfly fly away monarch zebra longwing poly-damOnly a handful each Julia and tiger swallowtail varieties fly through the display this time of year when spring is try ing its hardest to wake up and climb out of bed Yet each day Middleton said more and more chrysalises split open “In summer there will be 500 butterflies in here" she said Wallace said the zoo receives 200 pupa a week to maintain Butterfly World which he noted was enormously popular in its opening season last year In addition to allowing people to see the beauty of these insects Wallace said a goal of the exhibit b to help humans look at butterflies as a needed element of the world “They're very important to the ecosystem and are one of die top pollinators of the rein forest" he said “The exhibit b extremely important as an educational benefit" So go to Butterfly World and leave with this understanding if you warn Or jus: take in the sights But don't leave with more than that For as a sign near the greenhouse's exit requests “As you leave please check your clothing for hitchhiking thick-bodie- Monday Homefront: On academics and athletics ''T1'' 'fc ' J'wr i ' VJ’v as Children take advantage of a waterfall's cool offerings inside the exhibit TEXT JENNIFER K HATCH PHOTOGRAPHY: MITCH MA5CAR0 Features: 752-212- 1 |