Jack, glad you liked "Guardians of the Galaxy." It's the highest-grossing movie this year (so far) so a lot of people liked it.
But back to butterflies for now...MOSI is kind of unique in that we only raise native Florida butterflies. This is unusual for most butterfly exhibits who import theirs from butterfly farms. We also raise about 90% of the butterflies ourselves. The only exceptions are the South Florida butterflies that don't quite make it this far north, like the Julia, the Malachite, and the Atala. We also trade for Great Southern Whites when things get slow but I have seen them in this area; they're just more common in the south part of the county. So no, we've never had that Scarlet Peacock but I looked it up and it sure is beautiful. I've had quite a few kids asking me about Blue Morphos - where are they learning these things?
It's kind of nice to be able to tell people (at least the locals) that they, too can have a little bit of butterfly heaven. We have brochures that tell people how to get started, what plants to plant, etc. I like being able to tell people that I've had every single butterfly in the flight cage in my yard at one time or another. I think it makes them feel like they can make a difference, too. Like, it's not something only a museum can accomplish. The more people we have planting natives, the better it is for the butterflies, the bees, and the whole environment!
