By Nancy Bye
Borrego Springs - Nature Watch
Last updated 3/31/2016 at 11:29am
Spring has officially arrived. And haven’t we had the most gorgeous weather you can remember? One lovely day after another – clear, warm, still, perfect. Now we have well over twelve hours of daylight, and that has NOTHING to do with Daylight Saving Time.
The wildflowers are spectacular. Just past the airport on our Borrego Salton Seaway there are millions of blooms right beside the road. But look fast – the caterpillars are moving in big time. And Hal’s hawks are here by the thousands to munch on them. Almost 1700 hawks one morning last week. And have the bright yellow palo verde trees taken your breath away? I tend to forget about them – so many other wonders. What a place we live in!
But sometimes there are good reasons to briefly leave our lovely valley. The Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista has a new exhibit – green sea turtles, scarlet macaw, giant Pacific Octopus, a resident loggerhead sea turtle and hermit crabs. Through April 10, the zoo’s Safari Park has an amazing new butterfly exhibit. The park pays thousands to have the pupae shipped in from all parts of the world. There, the emerging insects are let loose into an aviary. In this Butterfly Jungle, visitors can observe, mingle with and even serve as perches for these gentle and very pretty creatures. Guests should wear brightly colored clothes so the butterflies land on them; but do not touch, and do not take!
You’ll be triple-checked before leaving to be sure none of these lovely bugs are riding out with you. Learn, enjoy.
