Butterflies on the Road 2015!
Throughout the years Chaa Creek has continually provided environmental education programs aiming to help conserve and preserve Belize’s natural environment.
The month of May is known to be education month in Belize, so with that in mind and as part of our community outreach and education programs Chaa Creek’s Naturalist Guides set out on a journey to conduct the annual “Butterflies on the Road” program.
Our guides gear up their vehicles with a power point presentation, living samples of every stage of the blue morpho butterfly and our signature blue morpho colouring books.
The “Butterflies on the road” initiative main focus is reaching out to the rural community schools in western Belize in an effort to educate our young children on the conservation of butterflies and the significant roles that they play in our eco-system.
This year the program saw the participation of six schools at the primary level and a total of 415 students within the ages of 5 and 12 years of age.
This year’s participating schools were:
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Red Creek Mennonite School
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Arms of Love Primary School
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St. Hilda’s Anglican School
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Immaculate RC School
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St. Francis Xavier School
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Santa Familia RC School
“I have never seen the entire life cycle of the blue morpho butterfly in real life. It was amazing!” – Alex 9 years.
About the “Belizean Blue”:
As its common name implies, the blue morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue, edged with black. The blue morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches. Their vivid, iridescent blue coloring is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light. The underside of the morpho’s wings, on the other hand, is a dull brown color with many eyespots, providing camouflage against predators such as birds and insects when its wings are closed. When the blue morpho flies, the contrasting bright blue and dull brown colors flash, making it look like the morpho is appearing and disappearing. The males’ wings are broader than those of the females and appear to be brighter in color. Blue morphos, like other butterflies, also have two clubbed antennas, two fore wings and two hind wings, six legs and three body segments — the head, thorax and abdomen.
Sustainable tourism must be firmly rooted within the local community and must provide true and lasting benefits to all. This is the fundamental reason why Chaa Creek supports many community projects and social welfare programs every year. We will continue to offer assistance to local schools and training centers, sporting events and teams, youth groups, conservation projects and much more.