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butterfly safari, magic carpet ride, magic carpet zeebra designs, mindo ecuador birds butterflies, Zeebra Designs
(Ecuador) – Last call to board the Magic Carpet for the Butterfly Safari! The gate’s about to close! Please have your cameras in hand and batteries charged! Volcano Cotopaxi released a bit of stress, but she’s quiet again. The clouds and volcanic ash have gone back to sleep, and we’ve been cleared for takeoff!
The full moon will be escorting us around the globe, with stops in South America, Central America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and North America. Put on the headphones for in-flight music and prepare for the most unique safari you’ve ever experienced.
Ready? Set… Let’s Go!
Z…
“Well she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind
That’s running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairy tales,
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind” – (Jimmie Hendrix)
Prepare for the first landing; it might be rough because this flight is loaded to full capacity. Oh goodness – excuse the turbulence — we veered beyond the landing spot!!! Our apologies – complimentary drinks will be provided!
Now where in the world are we? My navigator is checking the GPS….
HA! We landed smack in the middle of the cloud forest! Would you consider this a ‘Tropical Jungle?’
There are requests for tropical jungles (Kiwi Maureen/ http://kiwis-soar.com )
…and there’s a special request for “… let us land at that spot on that quiet lake, near the lily pads and reeds to watch the flitting around of the very colorful dragonflies.” (Babs/https://salmonfishingqueen.wordpress.com/)
Although many friends join me on this Magical Butterflies and Zeebra Safari, in real life I often embark on butterfly treks while staying near Mindo Ecuador. All of these images were taken on my friends’ property, so let’s see what we can find here without risking another crash landing elsewhere! I know these trails, so we might spot some rare and elusive species.

Many butterflies have bipolar personalities. They show one face to the earth and a totally different one to the skies. Wonder what this one looks like from above?
Is everyone feeling alright? No contusions from the rough landing? that’s great; let’s keep scouting for butterflies.
There are many trails here; I’ve seen otters and agoutis and deer as well as the butterflies – but alas, the only zebra around is your guide for this safari!
There are many new species here that I do not see on the coast. Does anyone have the Birds of Ecuador book? There are so many birds here – just look around and you’ll discover new ones!
There are so many things to see; birds, butterflies, botanicals – I’m glad many of you remembered to charge the camera batteries and remembered to bring back-up batteries as well! Let’s peer into the established gardens.
Let’s give the hummingbird some privacy – Time is flying! We’d better search for more butterflies!

Silvana’s Special Butterfly! (See Post TAPPING INTO YOUR NATURAL TALENT)
Barb! You took one step too close and spooked it! But look! It landed over there on the porterweed! Thank you for helping us get a prettier shot!

That’s a beautiful combination of colors! Let’s inspect the flowers and foliage and see what we can find!

My goodness! Look at the geometric patterns! If I were to draw that, I’d start with the black triangle shape at the rear of the two wings…
The horizon suggests that the sun will be rising soon. Let’s try to squeeze in a few more beauties before we take everyone home!

“I’m too busy feeding on these night-bloomers. They’re about to close their windows and shut down the fragrance chimneys.”
There’s never enough time to capture all that’s beautiful, but we must slow down and take time to note the beauty around us! Let’s look around once more before heading home. Parting will definitely be sweet sorrow. It’s been a great safari, thanks to all of you and your belief in the journey!

Did you hear the call of the toucans? They’re giving the last call before dawn… They’ve been watching over us from above!
Goodnight everyone! Thanks for flying with Zeebra’s Magic Carpet! If you enjoyed your flight, please give a good review on Trip Advisor!
“Fly on Little Wing…” (Hendrix)
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Lovely. Thank you for the delightful trip!
Thanks for riding along on the Magic Carpet Safari!
I loved it, thank you for the flight! Never a bad trip. Travel safe Amiga.
WOW that was quite the trip…I’m thinking best one yet….but it’s hard to say as I have loved all the other ones so much!! Sorry for spooking the butterfly…even after you warned me….are you sure you really want me to come visit??? (snicker) Thanks for the great but bumpy trip!!
Lisa the ride on your carpet was indeed magical, totally creative of course and thoroughly enjoyable as always a good review on trip advisor !!
What a fabulous array of butterflies, birds and flowers, Lisa! I love the hummingbird pictures and some of those butterflies are especially wonderful. 🙂
Thanks! Any day that I head outside without my camera, I think, “You’re going to be sorry…” There’s always a jackpot waiting to be claimed.
I agree, Lisa! Luckily many of us have smart phones now so if we forget our camera, we can still get pictures. However, at least in my case, my iPhone doesn’t take very good pictures, so I still regret when I leave my camera at home. 🙂
What a great trip and all before leaving for church! A wonderful morning indeed, Z. Thanks! So glad I got back in time for the trip. 🙂
janet
Pretty spectacular sightings Z! Enjoyed this trip, you’ve got to love it!
Simply magnificent. Such a fabulous ride!
What a beauitful journey through the phenominal world of Mother Nature. She didn’t disappoint. She put on the best show. She pulled out all the stops for us to relish and enjoy. The visual was joyful eye candy. Thanks for the ride.
Isadora
p.s. My hubby and I celebrated our 50th anniversary with a cruise that started in Florida and went through the Panama Canal, Central and South America docking in San Francisco. Our future plan is to travel back to Guatemala. We enjoyed Costa Rica as well. We saw the Capuchin Monkey’s close up. What an experience …!!!
I loved the butterfly safari. It was magic!
I just had to stop by and tag along for the trip. I’ve never seen so many beautiful butterflies. They’re truly out-of-this-world, and perfectly suited for viewing from a magic carpet! Thanks for all the work you do in putting these trips together. It’s well worth it for your fellow-travelers, that’s for sure!
so beautiful, so wondrous all of God’s creations. Thank you for having us aboard
I loved this trip! All the colors in so many places. Thank you for hosting and allowing all of us to board the magic carpet. Hugs to you chica for also making it to the lily pads! ^..^ P.S. The landing was not bad at all!
That was a fabulous journey. Such a feast for the eyes and the spirit. Gracias!
Wow! What a kaleidoscope of colors. This was so much fun. Thanks for the ride, Lisa. It was my favorite one so far. 🙂
What extraordinary beauty! Thank you for your artistic eye and your skills with the camera to capture what you see and your skills with words to share it with all of us in such an entertaining manner. Five stars in spite of the bumpy landing! ♥ Alia
you are so welcome, and you added elegance to our journey! hope all’s well over there! lisa
Thank you for this wonderful trip. Hugs amiga
hey my dear friend! hope all’s great there in your area! my friend barb is here and we’re working hard. wish you were here to work with us.. you’d be laughing with us, while we took turns cooking!
So many glorious butterflies and a bonus of birds and tropical settings. A lovely journey Lisa, thank you for the tour.
thank you, and yes, the butterflies and hummmingbirds/birds are everywhere.. nice setting in which to work!
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