St Louis Butterfly House

This was a fun morning.  We needed an inside activity, so we chose the Butterfly House.  Our hotel was literally only 5 minutes from this location.  When we were getting in the van, it was so sunny I had to put on my sunglasses.  A fast moving storm came across in the 5 minute drive.  So Brayden was a bit freaked out about the storm.  That's him in a dead run to the building.

 Still not raining...the girls thought that this centipede was awesome!

 This is a large wasp that would live in the Southwestern region of North America.  It feeds on tarantulas.  It will kill a tarantula, lay its eggs on it and then feed on the tarantula until the eggs hatch.

 Assassin Bugs.  They sneak up on their prey and then stab them with a beak-like mouth and drink the juices.  They would live in Central Africa.

 The Dead Leaf Mantid...One of the most fierce predators.  They hide among foliage and watch for their prey.  They eat crickets, beetles or other small invertebrates.  They live in Southern Asia.

 Jungle Nymph....they have great camouflage.  Live in Asia.

 Striking flower beetles are part of the scarab family.  They live in dense tropical forests, where they feed on fallen fruit and sap.  The males have horns.  They live in Africa.

 Hissing Cockroaches...live in Africa.  They have a unique defense.  They make a loud hiss when they feel threatened.  Instead of just laying eggs, hissing cockroaches are bor alive.

 This visit took a lot for Brayden to let us go there.  He HATEs....I mean HATES anything that will fly around his head.  What do I do???  I take an autistic child who cannot handle bugs flying at him to a Butterfly House.  He walked through once...very....very....very quickly.  Then waited for us by the exit.

 The girls absolutely loved it here.

He is not touching a butterfly.  He is actually enthralled with the buds on the flower.

Doesn't that look like an eye???

 Butterflies hatching.

 Lydia inside the Cockroach bubble....yuck...yuck....yuck!!!

 We had a wonderful morning at the Butterfly House in St. Louis.  Such a wonderful place!!!

We live in America, with great freedoms.  I cannot say I want to live anywhere else...considering some of the bugs we would have to watch out for!