Tenerife is an exotic island in Spain. Accordingly, its sights should be exotic. These requirements are fully met by the Butterfly Park of Drago. Call it "Flying Flowers Park"; the child will immediately want to visit such a fantastic place.
We recommend choosing a sunny day for a trip to Mariposario del Drago. In good weather, butterflies flutter, sunbathe in full view of everyone and even sit on visitors' clothes. And when the sky frowns, winged beauties prefer to sleep in a secluded corner, and you can not see them. In general, in greenhouse conditions (literally — the park is covered with a glass dome), about 800 butterflies live, typical for areas with a subtropical climate.
Many specimens were brought from Malaysia, the Philippines, Costa Rica, and Australia. The smallest "flying flower" living here has a wingspan of only 2 cm, and the largest — 30 cm.
Butterflies are so good that you want to take a picture of each one. It is most convenient to guard them near the feeders, where sweets and fruits are prepared for insects. But some butterflies go without food all their lives — for example, the large peacock-eye atlas. But its caterpillars are incredibly voracious. In India, peacock-eye caterpillars are bred for silk, and in Taiwan, giant cocoons of this butterfly serve as wallets.
Cocoons in nature are not so easy to notice; they are hidden from view and disguised as a leaf or branch. But the Butterfly Park in Icod de los Vinos has an incubator where you can see caterpillars pupating and hatching. It is worth approaching the incubator several times during the tour — the changes are often very noticeable. There is also a video hall in the park where an educational film about butterflies is shown. In the lobby, mock-ups of these graceful insects and even enlarged wings that a person can try on are on display. In the store, you can buy a collection of dried moths.
If you come to Icod de los Vinos for the Butterfly Park, you can see another Tenerife attraction: the dragon tree. This plant of the genus Dracaena resembles a giant mushroom. The oldest tree in town is about 600-800 years old.
