Rediscovering Marikina 1: WOB
Compared to the place I remembered visiting as a child, Marikina is almost unrecognizable to me now, in a positive kind of way. The streets are clean, its people are disciplined. More than that, Marikina has a lot more to offer-places to explore, a culture to experience.
My work has given me the chance to visit one of the city’s tourist destinations: World of Butterflies, run by the local government of Marikina. WOB’s main goal is to conserve the habitat of the butterflies. Aside from its butterfly garden, it is also a sanctuary for breeding them. Here, one can see the different stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.
Among the insects, butterflies have one of the most complicated life cycles. And unlike the other creatures under Class Insecta, they do not undergo a nymph period before becoming an adult; instead, a butterfly changes appearance when it becomes an imago. So, there’s no such thing as baby butterfly. 
Did you know that butterflies are indicators of pollution? If a place is polluted, you will seldom see butterflies in that area. They can be a pest in crops also, since their larvae (caterpillar) feed on a number of citrus plants (larval food plant). Hey, larva’s the longest stage in the life cycle and entirely spent eating until it becomes a fully-grown caterpillar.
The saying that “a butterfly only lives for a day” is not really true. Their average life span is two weeks. But some butterflies can survive for months. If a butterfly only lasted for a day, it must have been attacked/eaten by a predator.
Photos from left – right: (a) larvae feeding on citrus leaves, (b) preparing to become a pupa, (c) a pupa, (d) comparing a male from a female butterfly–the female have more dots on its wings. (All photos taken by the author at World of Butterflies)
Although WOB is not as magnificent as I was expecting, it was a learning experience. It has reignited my curiosity in this peculiar insect. And maybe it will be worth exploring again, now that I have more knowledge. You do not need a large area at home to create a habitat for butterflies. A little garden with lots of flowers will do (tip on flowers: butterflies prefer non-fragrant, clustered ones like santan). It’s also a way of contributing something to Mother Nature.
uhmmm. well nito lang ako napapadpad ng Marikina…kaya hindi ko ma-compare… pero before sa mga news and naririnig ko parang magulo at maraming krimen ang nagaganap diyan… at least ngayon pink and beautiful na ang drama nila…
Salve: medyo magulo nga nun dun, hitokiri. basta nung elementary ako, naalala ko daming nakatambay sa labas ng mga bahay-bahay, saka parang ang sikip-sikip ng mga daan. sobrang improvement talaga nangyari. saludo sa mga tao sa Marikina na sinuportahan yung ganung pagbabago.
Mare, congratulations:) finally, a domain of your own. Makapag-ikot-ikot nga sa bago mong tahanan hehehe:)
Antonettes last blog post…Bring back yesterday’s musikerosathttp://sonnetshaven.wordpress.com
Salve: kino-configure ko pa mare ang mga bagay-bagay dito. kailangan ko pang i-familiarize sarili ko.
Hi salve, I have never been to Marikina. Gusto ko rin pumunta dyan kasi nga diba malinis daw dyan and all. Curious, you know? hehehe.
Garden ni mama laging may butterflies.
Laarnis last blog post…The Hottest Summer Styles Are At Enyce.comathttp://www.laarnaay.com
Salve: Ang laki na ng iginanda ng Marikina talaga.
salamat sa lahat ng tulog sa pagse-setup nitong crumb trails. lost talaga ako sa mga kabagayan. salamat, salamat!
Avi! Ang ganda ng design ng blog mo, hanep! :p
I enjoyed taking photos at WOB! Sabi mo pa nga di ba ang galing ko na mag-picture. haha
Lens last blog post…Line to Heavenathttp://manilengrace.multiply.com/journal
Salve: salamat, leng-leng.
at si hitokiri, may nakatagpo pang ka-loveteam sa WOB, no? bigay ko na kaya number nya? what you think?
bibigyan kita ng copy ng mga good shots mo.
aru! mag indorse raw ng lugar para kang tourist guide. Maganda yan para malaman din ng iba na may naitutulong ang paru-paro sa mother earth hindi lang maganda sa mata ng nakakarami diba? hi-tech sya ha! Sana maging paruparo narin ako! lolong paruparo period!
Salve: it’s a good place to visit, master. dalhin mo dun si dallen, panoorin nyo yung 10-minuter avp tungkol sa mga butterflies. madami sya matututunan.
pano kaya pag naging paruparo ka? uugu-ugod na butterfly? hehehe.
peace, master
You are welcome. Naalala ko tuloy ung nagturo din sa akin about setting up — eight years ago. lol.
Sumablay lang tayo ng isa pero ikaw ang isa sa mga madaling naturuan ko about domain domain. hehe.
Take care.
Laarnis last blog post…The Hottest Summer Styles Are At Enyce.comathttp://www.laarnaay.com
wahaw! dotcom na si ikaw — yipeee! congrats. teka muna, ako dati ring marikina ang tambayan ko e, pero 15 years ago pa yon. mabuti naman at mas maganda na sya ngayon…
kengkays last blog post…Kailangan kong mag-relakathttp://kengkay.wordpress.com
Girl! Landi ng design ng blog mo! Hehehehehe
What happened to the links? Bat di automatic?
Anyhow, lagay ko na lang muna dito, ehheeee.
http://brainteaser.wordpress.com
Ay, meron pala. Hehehehehe
Brainteasers last blog post…The Wall Decorathttp://brainteaser.wordpress.com
Salve: salamat, leng-leng.
at si hitokiri, may nakatagpo pang ka-loveteam sa WOB, no? bigay ko na kaya number nya? what you think?
–May connection si hitokiri at butterfly master. :p
Bigay mo na ung number niya. haha
Lens last blog post…Line to Heavenathttp://manilengrace.multiply.com/journal
Booh!!!
new look!!!
panalo!!
pagbati mula sa Baltimore!
=)
raft3rs last blog post…Americaathttp://malibay.blogspot.com
isang beses pa lang ako nakakapunta ng Marikina
at doon pa yon sa may malaking sapatos
yes, may pix si raft3r don na nakahiga pa sa sahig
nyahaha
wish me luck
first exam ko bukas!
raft3rs last blog post…Dance Tonightathttp://malibay.blogspot.com
[...] of crumb trails earliest entries was about a place in Marikina. Among the cities in Metro Manila, Marikina has become one of the most progressive. But what sets [...]
fantastic entry. I will add it as favorite! Cheers