Explore: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Part III)

In 2005 my parents and sister moved from Boston to Miami. Though at first I was sad to be so far away from them and to lose my childhood home, I quickly discovered many places that I looked forward to visiting when I would migrate south.

My favorite place in all of Miami is called the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. I love it so much this is now the third post I am dedicated to it (which is unheard of here at Pop.Bop.Shop.). You can read my first post here and my second here.

I flew down to Miami last weekend to visit my family and to celebrate my baby cousin's first birthday. I took an early flight, landing in Miami at lunch time. After a quick bite, my mom and I hopped in the car and headed to Fairchild.

The gardens are located off of Old Cutler Road, which is the most beautiful street. You drive beneath a lush canopy of trees with the sun beaming down in between the leaves.

On this particular visit we were excited to experience the garden's annual Chocolate Festival. As we walked down our usual path we wound up in a circle of white tents, all with different vendors offering chocolate everything - candy, baked goods, frozen treats, bath products and even cocoa plants to grow your own at home!

After eating way too many samples my mom suggested we go into the brand new butterfly house called  "Wings of the Tropics."

One of my best memories from elementary school was our first grade class trip to a butterfly garden. I remember the exact sweatshirt I was wearing (hoodie, to be exact) because they told us if we wore a floral pattern the butterflies might be more likely to land on us. But I digress . . .

There is no food or drink allowed in the butterfly habitat and they are very careful about how they open and close the doors to ensure none of the beautiful winged creatures fly out.

The habitat is very serene. It feels like a true tropical rainforest.

There are gorgeous plants and flowers everywhere.

Everyone inside the habitat walks very slowly because you can literally see a butterfly on every leaf.

Some of the butterflies have wings that easily camouflage them into the trees so you have to look extra closely to be able to spot them.

These particular butterflies, that look like brown moths on the outside, are actually the most stunning breed. They rarely open their wings, but when they do, they are a glittering blue. I waited patiently for quite a while to capture one. I managed to get one decedent shot as a butterfly opened its wings and took off:

One of the staff members was helping people nudge the butterflies onto their arms, but when I tried, the butterfly was disinterested. Luckily, a kind stranger let me snap the one that landed on him.

I also learned during this visit that butterflies like tropical fruit. The staff puts out freshly cut pieces for them and they fly right to it!

I really loved the butterflies with yellow and black wings. They were particularly kind photo subjects.

Both my mother and I felt pure child-like wonder as we wandered through the "Wings of the Tropics." There were people of all ages in the exhibit and everyone was having the same wide eyed reaction.

If you live in Miami or are planning a visit there soon, be sure to explore the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and definitely leave yourself enough time to enjoy the butterflies.

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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