Luckily, I had some time to kill last Spring break so I ´ve spent it chasing butterflies and four eyed fishes in this beautiful nature´s paradise called Burger´s Zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands.I´ve always been chasing sunrises almost every chance that I have ,but this time, I was fascinated to explore the fascinating and completely unique “Burger´s Mangrove and Bush“.

Burger´s Zoo had a tropical rainforest jungle called “Burger´s Mangrove“. Here we´ve seen exotic plants and animals of all kinds.Most of it are quite familiar to me since they are growing natives in the Philippines as well. I can´t remember their names exactly but when I saw them, I was walking into my own memory lane.It was beautiful in every sense! Burger´s Zoo was a childhood playground for my husband since his parents brought them all there since he was still a kid and I am grateful that I was able to see it as well.

Butterflies always makes me happy.When I see them lately in the garden , I am glued watching them. I was really excited seeing all these butterflies flying around, sniffing Hibiscus and hovering around bananas.It was pure joy watching them.I remember in Augsburg Zoo, most of the butterflies have torn wings which is really sad to see, but here, they are quite carefree, living and giving joy to the zoo visitors.When I looked at them, I can´t help but to just feel happy& grateful. Our earth needs them to continue to thrive.

This is another typical zoo, yes of course, where diverse animals like lions, tigers and penguins are main sights to see. But hey, the settings and location of this place is quite unique and here, you can see the four-eyed Fishes! How cool is that–two eyeballs- four pupils! Like other fish, the four-eyed fish has two eyes, but the pupils in the four-eyed fish are split horizontally. The eyes are ingeniously adapted for swimming at the water’s surface.I remember when I was a kid, I used to chase tadpoles and frogs so this really is exciting for me.

What makes this place more special is that Burgers’ Mangrove serves as an ambassador for the beauty and diversity of the plants and animals that live in the nature reserve in Belize. For more information, you can check www.csfi.bz.

A forest wild in the middle of the diverse landscape settled in the wilderness of the Nature Park of Veluwe, and in fact its one of the largest zoo in the country too!Too bad we don´t have the time and energy to navigate the whole area because it´s really huge, but so far, I think we´ve seen its best highlights.

The drive going to Arnhem is quite scenic, I could really enjoy coming back here again in Autumn where the trees could be really lovely in its glorious colours.The parking lot was spacious, especially for the bus groups and herds of tourists.There are plenty of shady areas to have a break and yes, a lot of legwork needed but there´s this Bush Restaurant that is completely insane. Drinking coffee under the shades of giant Monsteras and sounds of a waterfall, well that for me is a threat!

My favourite so far is the Burger Bush and Mangrove Forest. Reminds me totally of the scenic Cloud Forest in Singapore.I just love walking inside this tropical paradise, humid, warm and yes, exotic. It´s not that comfortable but seeing the natural habitat of butterflies, Hibiscus and giant monteras really excites me.There was a giant pool that Manatees are swimming graciously and we could watch them glide their bodies.I can´t remember when I saw them last.Our first Zoo experience was in Nürnberg where we´ve seen giant Manatees as well but here in Burger´s Zoo, they are quite adorable.

Burger´s Mangrove is the largest indoor mangrove not only in Europe but in the world.I was really amazed that Netherlands have this nature paradise where children (and adults as well!) can have a chance to see these tropical mangrove creatures. Dozens of butterflies are flying like crazy inside and I was really going from here to there just to gaze at them.

I was often reminded that our ecosystem is so precious.There was another highlight inside the Mangrove where a waterfall cascades inside the garden so it really makes it more awesome.Walking over the rocks, while hearing the magical chirping of the birds, with the gushing of water and the plants dancing as the wind blows.I felt like I was brought back to my homeland.But spotting a lazy Capybara lounging there along with the turtles is another awesome experience for me and my daughter as well!

An escape from the busy life in places like this is really worthwhile. I was pondering how the Zoo manifesting all the needed care for all the plants and animal species inside the Zoo in order to continue creating a well-balanced ecosystem that has no end.

Because of this Butterfly experience I found some interesting facts about observing them and I think its worthwhile to share ;

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Butterflies drink from mud puddles.

Butterflies can´t fly when they are cold, below 55 deg.F.

Butterflies live mostly on liquids because they have straws instead of mouths.

Butterflies often live just a few weeks.

And lastly, this one is actually just because of pure luck!

Butterflies mate by joining their abdomens while facing away from each other, with the male depositing a spermatophore (packet of sperm) to the female. This process, which can last from minutes to hours, is usually initiated by a courtship display where the male uses pheromones and visual signals to attract a female.It was really a pure luck that I saw them doing the deed and I was feeling so ecstatic just seeing them!

What was the recent thing that fascinates you? Feel free to share in the comment.

Until then, Tschüß!