Amidst what has become our typical everyday routine in the Keys this winter, we branched out from the usual fishing (for me), kayaking, paddle boarding, knitting and crocheting (for Ashley), playing music, and normal chores to visit a more tourist-oriented attraction. Despite being one of the most popular destinations in Key West, the Butterfly Conservatory is also a favorite of many locals. Based on numerous recommendations (not to mention a couple of passes from a friend), we decided to finally pay a visit to this house of butterflies.

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is exactly what the name states – a greenhouse filled with butterflies, birds, flowers, and plants. Located on the southern end of Duval Street, the Conservatory features not only the greenhouse, but also a Learning Center detailing the lives and habits of butterflies, as well as glass enclosures displaying caterpillars, cocoons, and the specific plant that particular type of caterpillar eats. You can browse the gift shop, of course, and examine the butterfly art housed in the gallery on the side of the building. But the star of the show is the tropical greenhouse filled with 50 to 60 different species of butterflies, many different “butterfly-friendly” birds, and two flamingos named Rhett and Scarlet.

We were hesitant to visit the Conservatory, yet curious to see what it was like. It is definitely a popular tourist attraction, something we tend to avoid, but the only truly crowded part was the ticket counter at the entrance. We visited on a Thursday morning, assuming it might be less crowded during the week, but that wasn’t the case. As we were waiting in line to enter, a tour bus pulled up and the 30 people on board were led past the line and into the greenhouse area, drawing some grumbles from the people in line around us. But as we entered the doors, the Learning Center was nearly empty so we took our time reading the various info boards and watching the 15 minute video before heading into the greenhouse.

Stepping into the butterfly-filled greenhouse is like entering a fairy tale, as Ashley describes it. Brightly-colored butterflies fill the air, swerving and diving around tree limbs and tourists alike, sometimes bouncing off your chest or landing on an unsuspecting back. But don’t worry – if a butterfly lands on you, another visitor will be quick to point it out as you stand perfectly still while everyone around you snaps photos of your friendly hitchhiker. The air is warm and humid, just right for butterflies and tropical plants. A stone pathway winds through the greenhouse, leading visitors past butterfly feeding areas, clusters of flowers, birdhouses, and the flamingo habitat. Yes, it can be a bit crowded, but if you’re not in a rush, you can leisurely stroll through the display at your own pace. Admission is good for an entire day – visitors can leave and return throughout the day as many times as you’d like. I’d recommend walking through one time before whipping out your phone and photographing or recording everything in sight, but I’m definitely in the minority in this case. If you’re visiting Key West and looking for something unique and family-friendly, I’d recommend a visit to the Butterfly Conservatory, but just realize you might have to deal with a crowd and be prepared to take your time observing the display.

Short video showing just a few of the butterflies on display in the greenhouse:

When we were planning our trip to the Keys, we were curious to know what kind of post-Irma volunteer opportunities might be available in our area. While we did help with a neighborhood clean-up in January, we haven’t seen many other formal organized events. Key West wasn’t hit as hard as some of the other Lower and Middle Keys, and the clean-up here happened more quickly than in other areas. So when we learned of the volunteer efforts focusing on nearby Big Pine Key, we decided to attend the most recent event organized by a group known as the Conch Republic Marine Army.

The Conch Republic Marine Army is a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to restoring the waterways in the Florida Keys after the impact of Hurricane Irma. The Keys are also known as the Conch Republic, with residents earning the nickname “Conchs” – from which the CRMA derives its name. The CRMA mobilizes volunteers on land and sea to clean up hurricane-damaged areas, with people loaded in kayaks and canoes pulling debris from canals while others remain on land armed with gloves, trash bags, and wheelbarrows.

The most recent event organized by the CRMA took place on Big Pine Key, one of the areas hardest hit by Irma. Over 150 days have passed since the hurricane and debris still remains in the canals on Big Pine. Rather than waiting for the already strained government resources to clean the waterways, the organizers of the CRMA took matters into their own hands and started facilitating volunteer events in the area. We attended the recent event, not knowing what to expect but willing to do what little we could to help with their efforts.

We’ve visited Big Pine in the past – you may have read about our trips to the Big Pine Flea Market, the Blue Hole, and the No Name Pub (which is really on No Name Key, but you have to drive through Big Pine to get there). Big Pine is home to roughly 5,000 people, up from the original population of “two families” in 1843 as reported in John Viele’s book The Florida Keys – A History of the Pioneers. During the 1870 census, Big Pine was home to only a sole inhabitant – George Wilson, a man specializing in making charcoal to fuel the needs of the growing population in the Lower Keys. By 1923, Big Pine was home to the Hydenoil Products shark facility employing about 25 men and operating six shark-fishing boats. The facility routinely caught at least 50 sharks per day, and by 1930 that number swelled to nearly 100 sharks averaging seven feet in length caught every single day.

You might be wondering what you’d do with so many sharks – I already think that one is too many whenever I happen to hook a shark while fishing. Shark hide apparently produces the best kind of leather – stronger than most other leathers, capable of readily accepting dye, and can be used to make nearly any kind of leather item. During the early 1900s, the uses for sharks extended far beyond their hides. Shark livers, which are 75% oil, were boiled into vitamin-rich medicines. White shark meat was preserved with salt and dried in the sun, while shark fins were especially popular throughout Asia. Boiled shark heads yielded huge quantities of glue. The pancreas held insulin, used to treat diabetes. The teeth and jaws were turned into decorative items and even the vertebrae were made into walking canes. Shark skeletons were dried in the sun and ground into fertilizer. Even the eyeballs produced clear lenses that could be transformed into men’s stick pins.

But like so many other early industries in the Keys, the shark facility was plagued with financial troubles despite the clear success of the various products. By 1931, the shark camp on Big Pine Key was closed for good. Other smaller shark processing facilities opened in the Keys in the wake of the original, but none rivaled the success of the Big Pine Key shark camp.

We didn’t spot any sharks during the canal clean-up day on Big Pine. The volunteer crowd gathered early in the community park, consuming donated coffee and donuts in preparation for the day ahead. After listening to the opening remarks from the organizers and safety instructions from local law enforcement, the large group fragmented into smaller teams – some taking to the water in kayaks while others walked or biked the Avenues of Big Pine. Ashley and I spent the morning wading into a shallow marina area with a group of other volunteers, pulling various items from the water and creating piles of debris on the sides of the road for the solid waste authority to remove. Old shoes, soaked blankets, ruined binoculars, water-logged construction material, broken water tanks – the list of items fouling the waterways was endless.

After one area was sufficiently improved, the group would disband and assimilate into other groups spread throughout the Avenues. I spent part of the afternoon raking sea grass out of a canal to uncover trash hidden beneath, while Ashley combed through a lot around the corner removing trash and abandoned junk. We joined another group of volunteers to end the day by hauling downed tree limbs out of a resident’s backyard. The people organizing the Conch Republic Marine Army are making huge steps in restoring waterways – not to mention the neighborhoods – in the Keys to pre-Irma conditions and it’s refreshing to see a small, newly created, volunteer-led organization having such an impact on the community. We wish them success and we’re looking forward to helping again during either this or future visits.

Plans for our departure are well underway, with our first official stop for annual routine RV maintenance as we head north through Florida. We’ve begun planning our route west to Texas before heading into Colorado later this year. As much as I like planning and organization, we’re going to try to keep this journey a little more loose than our first summer through northern Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of New England. I still can’t quite get away from making official campground reservations ahead of time, but I’m going to try scheduling more as we’re traveling as opposed to making reservations for weeks on end. Maybe the laid-back nature of the Keys is having an impact on my normally structured outlook – I can’t say for sure. We’re certainly looking forward to our remaining time here as winter draws to a close, but we’re also anxious to get back on the road and explore new places, meet new people, and visit with more family and friends. Thanks again for reading!