RonnieAdventure #0352 - Carter's Play & Butterfly Biosphere- Lehi, Utah

Photographer Unknown

Carter had the Pirate King roll in his school's production of "The Pirates of Penzance;" so we made a trip to Utah to see the Family and Carter's performance.

I had never seen the musical "The Pirates of Penzance" and after reading the program I discovered why. The musical (aka "The Slave of Duty") is a two-act opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was December 31, 1879, on Broadway in New York City. Of the fourteen operettas produced by Gilbert and Sullivan between 1871 and 1896, "Pirates of Penzance" is the only one that did not have its opening premier in London. At that time there were no copyright laws to protect foreigners from "copyright piracy," so the opera premiered on Broadway to keep American companies from copying it and not paying any royalties. Gilbert and Sullivan also operated several US touring companies before publication of the score and libretto, which turned out to be a profitable decision. As the Director's Notes stated: "This 140-year-old story has everything a modern audience could ask for, it has a 'bevy of beautiful maidens,' a protective quirky old father, cowardly policemen, a ridiculous plot, beautiful music, witty dialogue - and pirates. What isn't there to love?"

Since we did not have enough snow in Las Vegas, Mother Nature treated us to a snow storm almost the entire time we were in Utah.

The Butterfly Biosphere was located adjacent to the hotel where we were staying at Thanksgiving Point, so I was able to tour the facility and take pictures. In addition to the Butterfly Conservatory, the 40,000 square foot Biosphere contains a world class insectarium with 20 species of tarantulas, beetles, numerous insects, and a Discovery Zone where children learn about spineless animals from around the world. In one room guests are "shrunk down" to bug-size to see what it is like to be an insect and you can even go underground like a bug! 

In the 7,500 square foot "Costa Rica Climber" area children can explore a tree house and learn about rainforest insects. However, since I did not have any young children with me, I spent most of my time in the 10,000 square foot Conservatory that contains over 1,000 butterflies, including famous species like the Blue Morpho. The Conservatory is a USDA containment facility, which means that they are able to display insects from all over the world.

Over the years I have learned that mounted specimens are easier to photograph than live butterflies.

In addition to butterflies, the Conservatory has some beautiful plant materials and waterfalls!

Unfortunately, the live butterflies were somewhat difficult to find and even more difficult to photograph. However, one butterfly did land on my hand and allowed me to take its picture.

They even had a hatching area and a newborn nursery!