Chapter 732: The Enchanting Butterfly Pavilion

"Wow!"

"So beautiful!"

As soon as they entered the Butterfly Pavilion, Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke's eyes widened in amazement.

At the entrance of the Butterfly Pavilion, there was a white fountain structure.

The fountain consisted of a large pool with smaller pools embedded within it. The topmost sculpture spouted water, creating a circular water curtain that fell into the lower basin, creating ripples.

The water flowed layer by layer into the largest pool at the bottom, producing a pleasant "splashing" sound.

On either side of the path, lush greenery was planted. Bushes and ferns were paired with tall trees, and the grass was vibrant and green.

Various colored flowers were in full bloom, their branches intertwined, forming clusters of blossoms. Each petal's texture was exquisitely beautiful, blooming with vitality and showcasing their splendor.

The air was fresh and moist, with a faint floral fragrance wafting around.

Some butterflies fluttered their wings, dancing gracefully among the colorful flowers and the white fountain.

Some butterflies played with each other, chasing one another, while others rested on flowers, collecting pollen.

The butterflies' movements were light and delicate, like pieces of colorful paper floating away with the breeze.

The flowers by the roadside seemed to sway gently with the butterflies' dance.

Sunlight shone on the butterflies' wings, reflecting brilliant and colorful hues, while the fountain sparkled with golden light.

The pavilion also played music, with the gentle sound of a harp resembling the bright moonlight at night, accompanied by the elegant and clean sound of a violin, like the afternoon sun shining in a tranquil garden. The "splashing" sound of the fountain added to the carefree feeling.

In such beautiful scenery, one's body and mind became tranquil and relaxed, and all worries disappeared.

Especially since the pandemic had just ended, everyone had been indoors for a long time and was now eagerly craving close contact with nature.

The children were overjoyed, spreading their arms and running around the fountain.

The parents watched this scene, reminiscing about their childhood, catching grasshoppers and chasing butterflies at sunset, running freely, and unconsciously smiling.

Tang Xiaoxin was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out her phone and snapped a few photos!

As expected of Linhai Zoo, it never disappoints!

The Butterfly Pavilion was truly stunning.

The two of them began to explore slowly.

Listening to the soft music, with butterflies dancing around them, it felt like walking in a dream woven with rainbows.

Qian Keke looked at a small butterfly on a pink flower by the roadside.

Its wings were light gray on the outside, with some black spots, and its antennae had white rings if you looked closely. It was a common sight.

A nearby educational display introduced it: "The Oxalis Blue, a small butterfly with a wingspan of 18-20 mm, is the most common small butterfly in lowlands. Adults often fly low in grasslands, forest edges, and roadsides.

Male butterflies have a metallic blue sheen on their backs, while females are mostly black. The underside of their wings is light brown with black or brown spots. The Oxalis Blue is named after its host plant, the oxalis."

Tang Xiaoxin tugged on Qian Keke's sleeve: "Look, this one is so pretty!"

A butterfly was resting on a green leaf, spreading its wings as if sunbathing.

The middle of its wings had fine veins like tree branches. When sunlight hit them, they showed a metallic indigo sheen, with a hint of rainbow colors at the tips and a brown wavy border.

This was a Bright Blue butterfly.

"Wow! So beautiful!"

On a branch ahead, there was a food tray with some sliced oranges.

A pile of dried leaves was lightly swaying on the oranges.

Suddenly, one of the dried leaves jumped up, spread its wings, and flew away.

When its wings were folded, there was a deep black vein in the middle, extending shallow diagonal lines and light white ripples, mimicking the wrinkles of a dried leaf soaked in rainwater, with every detail perfectly imitated.

This was a group of Dead Leaf Butterflies, which looked not just similar to dead leaves but exactly like them.

The underside of their wings looked like dried leaves, while the upper side was black, orange, and deep blue.

Tang Xiaoxin marveled, "The camouflage is incredible!"

Qian Keke joked, "Congratulations to the Dead Leaf Butterfly for winning second place in the Dead Leaf Imitation Contest."

If it were on a tree, it would be almost impossible to distinguish it. Only on the food tray did it stand out.

Up close, you could see the Dead Leaf Butterfly extending its long proboscis, continuously sucking on the orange.

An educational display nearby explained the beauty of butterflies.

The beauty of butterflies mainly comes from the scales on their wings, known as "powder."

These scales have different pigments and unique microstructures that refract light, creating the vibrant colors and intricate patterns of butterflies.

Pigment colors gradually decompose or oxidize after a butterfly dies, so specimens are not as beautiful as live butterflies.

Butterflies use their rich colors not for aesthetics but for survival.

Some butterflies use bright patterns and colors to indicate they are toxic and not tasty, a warning coloration that deters predators.

Some, though not toxic, mimic the appearance of toxic ones with bright colors. Warning colors can be metallic sheens or stark contrasts like black and red or black and yellow.

Others use patterns to mimic predators' feared animals, like snake heads or beast eyes, vividly scaring off potential attackers.

Besides warning colors, there are also protective colors, the most common being green and brown.

More advanced than protective colors is mimicry, like the Dead Leaf Butterfly, which not only looks like a leaf but even sways gently to mimic leaf movements.

After reading the educational display, one couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of nature!

Another display explained the differences between butterflies and moths.

Tang Xiaoxin was immediately interested, as this was a question she was curious about while exploring!

Is it the vibrant colors? Or the body size?

But the Dead Leaf Butterfly has plain colors, and body size doesn't seem right either, as she's seen large moths as big as her palm.

Qian Keke speculated, "Moths should all be active at night, while butterflies are active during the day. Otherwise, why is it called 'moths to a flame' and not 'butterflies to a flame'?"

"That makes sense!"

But some moths are active during the day.

The most reliable way to distinguish between butterflies and moths is by looking at their antennae.

Antennae are used to detect airborne scents, like pheromones to attract mates or chemical signals from preferred flowers.

All butterflies have clubbed antennae, like the antenna of a toy car.

Moths, on the other hand, have feather-like or thread-like antennae without the clubbed ends.

Another difference is their flying style. Most moths have a hook-like structure connecting their forewings and hindwings, allowing them to flap their wings rapidly and fly swiftly. Butterflies, however, flap their wings up and down, gliding gracefully between flaps.