Ryan and I will both agree when we say our favorite part of the museum was the butterfly exhibit. As we wrapped around the museum, from the Florida history section and into the butterfly exhibit, there were several museum employees working delicately to pin a variety of butterflies and beetles into shadow boxes. I've never had the opportunity to watch people pin the different butterfly varieties before, and it was beautiful and slightly gross all at the same time. I'm really not a fan of bugs in general, butterflies included, but they way they were displayed was an art form in and of itself. Some of the bugs were beautiful shades of blues and greens, while others were a bit terrifying and I am glad I've never come across the living versions. The museum had several shadow boxes on display; however, behind the workers in the laboratory were rows and rows of several hundred shadow boxes. If only we had the opportunity to look through them all, I am sure that's where the keep the most rare and delicate species. Following the butterflies and beetles on display, came the best part: the butterfly garden. You enter the garden and walk through a pathway that leads you through beautiful, lush plants and tropical flowers. As soon as you look up, you realize there are hundreds of butterflies, all shapes, colors and sizes, flying above you. Some land right next to you, but as soon as you blink, they are in flight and on to find the next plant to feed from. There were butterflies I had never seen before, neon green, red, and vibrant blues. In one summed up word, it was magical. Every time I looked in a different direction I would point out and exclaim a new butterfly that would flutter by, and how each one was "my favorite." They were all just too beautiful! They had benches set up throughout the garden so viewers could sit and spend a fair amount of time observing. It was overwhelmingly peaceful in there and I instantly began to plot how to recreate the scene in my backyard. If you go to the museum, pay the extra seven or eight dollars to go into the garden, I promise you it's absolutely worth it.
