Butterflies in Paradise… 2,500 different species in Costa Rica.

If you have never seen the beautiful butterflies of Costa Rica you are missing one of the natural wonders of this beautiful land.

Butterflies are some of the most extraordinarily colorful creatures on Earth and there are around 2,500 different species in Costa Rica, about one tenth of the world’s total.

The Butterfly Conservatory, El Castillo — Arenal is a Nature Regeneration Project dedicated to the preservation, growth, and study of the rainforest; with focus on butterflies and other tropical rainforest species, such as frogs, lizards, fish, and plants of the region around the Arenal volcano.

The project contains the largest exhibition of butterflies in Costa Rica, and a learning center for understanding the butterfly life-cycle and incredible metamorphosis experience.

A visitor will experience a practical educational adventure about nature, and will see diversified exhibits of how butterflies and exotic frogs are reproduced in this natural environment. It is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Costa Rica, with magnificent views of the Arenal volcano, lake, and surrounding rain forest reserves.

Interestingly, butterflies play an important role in the web of life. While in the caterpillar stage, they are voracious plant-eaters yet they play an important role in plant survival.

It has been estimated that arthropods — the large group of animals that includes all insects — consume 20 percent of the earth’s vegetation each year. That by itself sounds bad, but by chewing and digesting leaves, caterpillars recycle nutrients and energy through the ecosystem, making valuable sources of nutrition available to other plants and living organisms.

Additionally, adult butterflies are important plant pollinators and they are also food for many predators, including other insects, songbirds, mice, lizards, turtles and spiders. And because butterflies are sensitive to environmental change, scientists look to them as signals that indicate the health of the environment.

Many butterflies are closely linked to specific plants and habitats, so an increase or decrease in their diversity tells us about the changing quality of an area, and the impact of that change on other animals. During this century butterfly diversity has decreased alarmingly in some parts of the world, pointing to the need for better environmental management and public education.

The greatest threat to the world’s butterfly species is the ongoing loss of suitable habitat. This loss is due primarily to human activities, including agriculture, logging, urban expansion, industry, recreation, and pollution.

You can be a friend of the butterfly through environmental awareness and planting flowers or butterfly host plants in your garden at home.

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Written by Glenn Baines who is the Executive Director of the Butterfly Conservatory in El Castillo, Arenal.

You can see the history behind the Butterfly Conservatory here.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.