2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville Offered Lots of "Shooting" Opportunities

So, I really had a blast at the 2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville last weekend. Needless to say, when you go to a "Butterfly Festival" you can't help but get some great shots. As those who know me well know, I love shooting pictures of butterflies, so I was psyched!

Well, over 650 plus photographs later, I was a bit overwhelmed when I sat down to make my picks from the bunch and process the photos. I really hadn't expected to take anywhere near that many in two days! Over half of them were just butterfly pictures alone! Whew!

After careful consideration, I decided to break them down into two different galleries and got to work on just the pictures from the "festival" part of the event. I will go ahead and work on the butterfly pics (although there are some in the event gallery), as time permits and break them down in a seperate gallery portfolio, just for all my pretty butterflies. To view some of the event shots from last weekend you can do so by clicking here.

The little kids really loved getting their very own "wings" and faces painted at the 2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville, Florida.

I must admit, I have never seen a butterfly that looked quite like this one. Lime green spots! It was a beauty!

Okay, I am sure there aren't many people that like bats...and I'm one of them...but, I have to admit this little creature stole my heart. When I think of bats, I certainly don't think of something that looks like this! He had a face like a dog! These are actually fruit bats, also called "flying foxes," because of their features, and are not at all like the standard bats we have in Florida. I was absolutely mesmerized with this little fellow (thought I have to admit he didn't smell very nice, they say it was his mating season and they put off that awful smell during that time). But, he was cute...for a bat!

It wasn't all about butterflies...this baby alligator was a big hit with the children, who were allowed to hold it. The little girls thought it was great!

And, this black indigo snake was a hit with children of all ages. His handler stood there ALL day long, both days, never alone...everyone wanted to play with the snake, who is very old for a snake like this. I even touched it and I am not a snake person either! The Florida Museum of Natural History is a hidden, kid-friendly education center on the University of Florida (UF) campus. With more than 9 million specimens, the museum's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity contains one of the world's largest collections of butterflies and moths. Scientists in the museum's labs work to save imperiled butterflies from extinction, define unknown species and understand butterfly and moth genetic history and relationships. In the Butterfly Rainforest Rearing Lab, visitors can view panels with text, pictures and objects explaining butterfly science.