The Butterfly Lady

Wings of Wonder, Cypress Gardens
Sydney Krissoff, Curator

Butterflies--Nature's Art in Motion

Part 1

by Martha Hollis and Anthony Scaggs

Is it surprising that Sydney Krissoff, Curator of Cypress Garden's butterfly conservatory, decorates her Christmas tree with butterfly images made from jewelry, ceramics, crystal, or any image that reflects her love for nature's winged beauty?

For the last four years, Sydney has totally immersed herself into creating Cypress Garden's Wings of Wonder, a miraculous experience into the essence of ephemeral nature.

Stepping into the garden is like walking into a Tiffany glass display turbocharged into a multimedia show, complete with aromatherapy and hushed sounds. The visual and olfactory sensations are guaranteed to impart a sense of immediate peace--a total immersion into nature's wonders. Lights play around the delicate, fluttering wings, the blooming flowers, the verdant foliage and the waterfall's droplet kaleidoscope.

The ecosystem created by Sydney and her accomplished team includes tiny button Quail, the little parasite police. The selected plants and overripe fruits must provide sufficient nectar or liquids for the butterfly's straw-like proboscis to extract necessary nutrients. Furthermore, the FDA requires her to select plants that are not breeding hosts for these butterflies. The FDA considers foreign butterflies outside the conservatory as potential pest. Therefore, extreme care is taken so these winged creatures cannot leave the conservatory with Cypress Gardens' visitors. Conservatory staff is located at the entrance and exit doors to remove any winged hitchhikers. Even the tiny egg, laid by a zebra longwing (with delicate rice paper wings from the Philippines), on my wrist watch was gently removed before I could leave--"FDA regulations, you know," smiled Sydney.