el cajon

Located in far east county of San Diego, on the campus of Cuyamaca College, sits a wonderful little gem known as the Water Conservation Garden, a learning laboratory atop 5-acres of natural landscape. My interest in driving the distance today was to catch the last day of tours at the Butterfly Pavilion.

I was able to enjoy the Pavilion without any other guests and was personally toured by Sonya, one of the Garden’s volunteers. She was quick to show me that the butterflies are hatching and we watched as a brand new butterfly expelled itself from its cocoon. For hours, a butterfly will stay attached to the cocoon, while trying to get blood and fluids pumping to their wings. What an awesome sight to see a brand new butterfly evolve into the next chapter of its life. The Pavilion is full of newly hatched butterflies and caterpillar’s with work still to do.

The Butterfly Pavilion is open from June to September, and offers daily tours. The Water Conservation Garden offers fascinating tours on the various themed gardens, and offers an on-site nursery so you can purchase water conscious plants.

I’ll let the photos from my tour highlight the joy of being amongst these wonderful creatures.