A Rainforest in the Desert Called Butterfly Wonderland

Butterfly Wonderland is a rainforest in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Of course, it is a man made rainforest.   

Given the name, the focus is on butterflies.   But the tropical plants are amazing along with any rainforest surprises.

Until My Next Adventure,

See you on down the road,

Jim Patterson

Click the photo below for all of my images from Butterfly Wonderland!

Phoenix Botanical Garden May 2019

Armed with a Canon EOS R mirrorless and the RF 24-105mm lens, I visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden one early afternoon in May.  

One thing I wished I had done was bring my Tamron 70-200mm lens.  I felt I needed a bit more reach.  However, I was able to crop and get some keepers.  

They also had a butterfly display that was THICK with butterflies. Most of them moved around making it harder to photograph.  

My entire photography portfolio is on SmugMug.  And, here's my Instagram feed.

Until My Next Adventure,

See You On Down the Road!

Jim Patterson

Here's a slideshow of all of my photos.... ENJOY!

Then I came home and photographed flowers around the house with Tamron 100-400mm and Tamron 70-200mm lenses.

EOS R and Tamron 70-200mm Lens

EOS R and Tamron 100-400mm Lens

Butterfly Wonderland

Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale was a delightful 4^th of July treat.  And, it was a “target rich” environment for photography.

It’s located on the Salt River-Pima-Maricopa Community, where to Native Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of change, joy, and color – a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. 

I photographed in natural shaded light with a Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon 100mm macro lens.  Hand held, as tripods would be hard to use unless you had the place to yourself. 

A few tips:  First off, they keep the butterfly habitat very very humid.  Walking into the area with a camera, you notice the lens and view finder fog up immediately.  Give it about five minutes, then clean with a micro fiber cloth.  Secondly, FOCUS!  Focus is a challenge using a macro lens.  Some of the butterflies do not just sit there.  You may have a moving target.  I tried hard to focus directly on the eyes of the insects. 

By the way, they also have a small aquarium in the facility.  Beware though, because it is hard to focus and shoot in low light.

Until My Next Adventure, 

See You On Down The Road!

Jim Patterson

See all of my photos from this adventure on Flickr 

Created with flickr slideshow.