Butterflies Flutter By In My Neck Of The Woods

I almost missed seeing this little fellow as he nestled in the leaves at Wild-Connections Butterfly Farm. This caterpillar, munching away, will shortly turn into an amazing butterfly.

But, I don’t know which one he will be! I obviously didn’t take the educational tour when I visited this nature center near Austin last week — and I’m not a lepidopterist. Will he become one of these?

Or perhaps a butterfly like this?

Maybe he will look more like this butterfly.

Or, he could metamorphasize into one of the many other colorful critters that were fluttering around in the Butterfly House. I tried desperately to take pictures of them all, but they won’t “pose.” In fact, they were flitting around so much they made me nervous. I guess they knew they were about to be visited by a group of squealing schoolchildren.

If those children look like they are in a “cage” to you, it’s because they are It’s a screened enclosure that keeps the butterflies inside, where a habitat has been created that has everything in the world they (the butterflies) could want. I wish I had a butterfly house like this in my own back yard!

I heard about Wild-Connections on the radio, as I was driving through Austin last week (it was on National Public Radio, because I am a radio snob). It sounded like a perfect opportunity to break up a six hour drive and stretch my legs. I had no clue that it was a “destination;” I could have stayed there for hours enjoying the Texas hill country views.

The farm is 56 acres of natural beauty that has a fascinating history. At one time, it was a working farm with a sorghum mill, and even a stage stop. It was later owned by a member of the Sears and Roebuck family, who raised Shetland ponies on the ranch that were sold through the catalog! Now it is a delightful retreat for hiking, picnicking, educational tours, and butterfly watching.

The owners started it in order to educate children to the wonders of nature. They decided that our children today don’t know much about exploring the great outdoors, and their motto is, “No child left inside!” If children are acquainted with our natural world (their natural habitat), then perhaps they will develop an understanding that we are interconnected with nature. Perhaps they will understand that our survival depends on the health of the natural world.

Or, maybe they won’t. I heard one urchin squeal, “EWWW! There’s a grasshopper! Stomp it!”

Wild-Connections is located at 10802 Kit Carson Drive in Austin, Texas. Take my advice and use GPS if you have it, because it’s easy to overshoot that county road. It is NOT open year round, so visit the Wild-Connections website to see the hours. You have until May 31st to see them this spring, and then you have to wait until the end of September. I guess those little caterpillars need time to themselves to transform into butterflies. I can’t say I blame them! After putting up with herds of children stomping through the house all spring, I would want to “cocoon,” too.

Another suggestion is to plan to arrive early or later in the afternoon. Fortunately, I got about twenty minutes alone in the Butterfly House before the children arrived. I sat enjoying the beauty with my camera trained on one particular flower — trying by force of will to make a butterfly land on it. They wouldn’t cooperate, so I just snapped the picture anyway. Maybe you will have better luck.

Other posts you might enjoy:

1. Butterflies Aren’t Free, But You Can See Them For $7
2. Gruene With Envy. My Neck Of The Woods.
3. My Neck Of The Woods
4. It’s A Puzzle
5. My Neck Of The Woods. Villa’s in Irving, Texas.

Tagged as: Austin Texas, Hill Country, MY NECK OF THE WOODS, Texas Travel