By Beth Green
Changi Butterfly Garden, Photo by Beth Green |
Downy wings
fluttering, tiny legs trembling on neon tropical flowers: There’s something
soothing about watching butterflies flit around.
And,
traveler, where do you most need to feel calm?
Maybe in the
middle of your next intercontinental trip.
Visit the
butterfly garden at Changi International Airport in Singapore (airport code:
SIN) to momentarily forget the stresses of air travel. Lost luggage,
stiff-lipped security guards, and the ubiquitous crying baby three seats in
front of you will all seem like part of a far-away world after spending time
watching a garden in flight.
Located in
Terminal Three, the Changi Butterfly Garden has almost 50 kinds of butterflies.
The insects swoop, glide, and dart freely among the flowers and plants of this
airport grotto. And, unlike most things associated with air travel these days,
entrance to the garden doesn’t even cost one shiny Singapore dollar.
The garden from the upper level. |
The garden is
two-tiered, with a waterfall and a staircase connecting the levels. On the top,
visitors get a bird’s-eye (or is it butterfly’s-eye?) view of the downstairs and
a real feel for how amazingly many butterflies are loose in the garden. If you
stand still enough, one of the thousand or so free-flying butterflies might
perch on something of yours that’s brightly colored for a moment or two. Of
course, that makes a long visit by butterfly standards, as most butterflies
have a lifespan of less than two (human) weeks.
Butterfly lunch. |
The bottom
level of the garden is surrounded by greenery and tinted glass so that you feel
completely immersed in a jungle. From the top of the stairs, however, you get a
glimpse of the outside airstrip and airport workings—a truly a unique chance to
contemplate the world of flight by comparing delicate butterflies and behemoth jetliners.
Downstairs,
curious travelers can watch butterflies feeding on sticky sweet pineapple
rounds, peek into hutches where pupae cocoon and morph, and read educational
signboards about their fluttering friends.
Taking flight. |
It’s also
downstairs that you can see examples of jungle noir—carnivorous “monkey cups,”
the dipper-shaped, insect-eating plants native to SE Asia. If it seems a bit
“Little Shop of Horrors” to put these hungry flora in with the swirling cloud
of resident butterflies, don’t think about the fact that in the wild some of
these plants also consume vertebrates.
The Butterfly
Garden is one reason why Changi Airport is one of my favorite airports to route
through. Other reasons include the airport’s orchid garden, koi pond,
interactive art exhibits and entertainment deck—all free of charge to enter.
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