Butterfly House

Today, Troy and I went to the Butterfly House at the Texas Discovery Gardens near Fair Park with Charlotte and her father. We thought it would be a nice indoor activity, since it was triple digits outside. But we didn't factor in the tropical, warm and humid atmosphere that they keep the Butterfly House, which I guess the butterflies find appealing. Nonetheless, it was a neat two-story habitat full of foliage and trees and swarming with butterflies of different varieties. It would normally be a nice place to sit peacefully and just rest, but with one five-year old and one almost five-year old, it was anything but peaceful. 

As soon as the sliding doors opened, they took off running like wild monsters, chasing the butterflies and screaming loudly. Knowing that they were in an enclosed environment, Charlotte's father and I just followed along casually behind, following their loud and unmistakable voices. I did manage to break away a few times to take some pictures of butterflies, always away from the kids who would instantly scare the butterflies into a frenzied flight. But I would have liked to have sat down on one of the wooden benches and just enjoyed the chaotic flight patterns or the slow opening and closing of their wings after they landed on a leaf. Maybe I'll come back later with my wife without Troy.

At one point, I told Troy and Charlotte that if they stood very still and were very quiet, then maybe a butterfly would land on them. They were both in colorful purple shirts after all, so it's possible the butterflies would mistake them for flowers. They both tried, but it only lasted for about ten seconds before they grew bored and were once again running around. The butterflies were pretty active anyway, so it wasn't likely they would have landed for long.

After we had our fill of butterflies, we went out into the Discovery Gardens, which was nice but also extremely hot. They had plants, trees, manicured lawns, fountains, and even a little playground for the kids. Statues adorned varies nooks and crannies, most with a butterfly theme. It was very picturesque, but we couldn't handle the heat for very long before we threw in the towel and went back inside for some air conditioning.