Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park, BC, Canada

Just when you think you've seen it
all, Mother Nature comes along,
grabs you by your ears, and shakes
your eyesballs silly.

Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park,
located 15 km east of Chilliwack, BC, Canada,
is a sundae for the senses.
With the fresh touch of snow icing the mountains,
and the tang of spring caressing you,
Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park is
a sheer joy to explore.

She is home to several species of water birds,
insects, butterflies and even the occasional eagle and
hawk can be spotted soaring overhead.
Beaver have left their calling cards of gnawed
tree trunks along the waterfront, and the frogs
chorus their joy at the upcoming spring season.

Canada Geese are in abundance right now, greeting you
with honks and cackles as you wander gently
amongst their territory of bulrushes and wetland grasses.

Mother Nature, I think she's laughing at me.

National Zoo of Nicaragua

I recently spent an enjoyable day at the National Zoo of Nicaragua, the Parqueo Zoologica Nicaragua.

There is a very impressive butterfly enclosure there. I don't know a lot about butterflies, but I like the names they've been given. Hairstreaks and brushfoots, monarchs and glasswings. The longer I walked among their serene beauty, the more I wanted to learn about them.

Some butterflies actually migrate. Monarch butterflies are capable of making transatlantic crossing. The Glasswing butterfly has see-through wings.

I also learnt that butterflies display lekking behaviour. I know, I had to look that one up myself. Lekking is where a group of males, usually the same ones, get together, usually in the same place, to show off for the purpose of attracting a beautiful mate. Kind of like your local trendy coffee shops. Man imitating nature. I might leave the classical lek and exploding lek behaviour for another post. I'm still trying to stop laughing from this one.