The Bribie Island Butterfly House
BRIBIE BUTTERFLY?
With 2 weeks left of Winter, and no plans for the weekend, I thought I would take my family to Bribie Island’s Butterfly House. I have a 2 year old who walks, talks, and has an over-inquisitive mind, so what better place than an enclosed area where everything moves? So I went armed with my Macro lens to capture my own Bribie Butterfly.
EVEN A BUTTERFLY STARTS SOMEWHERE
Originally founded in 2009 by Ray & Delphine Archer the Butterfly House is supported entirely by volunteers. Their move to Bribie Island in 2016 was mostly due to lack of volunteers, but Bribie Island was also a favourite place of theirs. Fortunately for the rest of anyone living in Brisbane this is the only easily accessible place to see butterflies, and there are LOTS of Butterflies.
They breed and care for all their butterflies onsite, and the range of butteries is extensive. Not always in season, and always on the hunt there can be between 500-1000 butterflies in the house when at its peak. I’m no butterfly expert so, I’m not going to try to name then, and when you go there, make sure you get yourself a copy of the cheatsheet they are handing out.
A BUTTERFLY SMORGASBOARD
Bribie’s Butterfly house is only open for 2 days during the week, Wednesdays, and Sundays. If you can, try to on a wednesday, because their popularity is climbing, and Sunday gets busy. There’s a fantastic array of plants to shelter, and feed all their butterflies, and remember you are entering their domain, so watch your feet! Once you enter, it will only take a few minutes before you are a mobile landing pad for multiple butterflies.
Butterflies are not the only thing here, there’s also in the back corner, an area sectioned off for leaf insects. Make sure you give yourself 5 minutes to find them, they are incredibly well camouflaged, so don’t get disheartened when you don’t see them right away. Here’s a tip, look for some ‘almost’ dead leaves, and you might be staring at the big one!
Overall it’s a great way to spend a morning learning more about these incredible creatures. My two year old didn’t deal with how busy it was, and lost interest quickly, but for older kids this is definitely a magnet for any inquisitive minds.
Check out their website here. Also our Macro Gallery has more close up photos.
Thanks for reading
Stuart Smith
