The Birds and the Bees, the Butterflies and the Bats

What better way is there for children to begin learning about the “birds and the bees” than by observing animals’ life cycles and reproduction in natural environments? Depending on whether you wish to invest a few hours of your time or an entire day, I would propose that you visit either the BirdLife Naturzentrum Neeracherried near Zurich, or the Papiliorama in Kerzers, canton Fribourg, respectively.

The BirdLife Nature Center

The BirdLife Naturzentrum in the Zurich Unterland focuses on native bird species in a protected bog environment, the Neeracherried, which is sadly enough one of the last remaining low-lying bog habitats in Switzerland. The center has a comprehensive and interesting education center complete with stuffed nightingales, red kites, and kingfishers, as well as several good interactive exhibits demonstrating the relationship between birds’ anatomy and flight ability. You and your child can even attempt to fly like a bird in the bird flight simulator! Although the anatomy of bird reproduction is only fleetingly covered at the center, some aspects of mating are dealt with, such as the regulation of bird song, ornamentation, and displays used by males to attract females. More importantly, though, you can cross the boardwalks to the bird observation blinds and observe native birds foraging, grooming, flying, and yes, you guessed it, copulating and nesting. Children are notoriously curious, so you can imagine the questions. “Mommy, what are the ducks doing?” “Is that duck going to drown?” I could not think of a better lead-in to the topic for young children. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of black-headed gulls raising young within this nature reserve. So make sure you bring binoculars, or if you do not have them, you can rent them for a small fee from the information desk.

There is also an educational nature walk you can take, which shows how to develop and maintain a nature area, complete with bee hotels and information about wild bees. I find this particularly enlightening. Diversity of fauna requires diversity in nature! This means that a three-acre field of yellow rapeseed, although beautiful, does not in the least help native bee species to flourish – it actually fosters their demise! My sixteen-year-old son particularly enjoyed this area. He decided to allow our nettles to grow at home and placed piles of branches and twigs in our yard to encourage native fauna to thrive.

The only drawback to the BirdLife Nature Center is that information there is only available in German and film information is in Swiss German, something I have never come across before. Nonetheless, the employees are devoted and very helpful! So do not let language deter you from visiting the center. If your German is good, there are special talks and activities this summer as the center celebrates its 15th anniversary. You can even sign up to build a bee hotel. There are picnic areas and a small shop/coffee bar within the center as well. Click to view information about opening hours and upcoming events for kids

On the main BirdLife website, home of the Swiss Association for the Protection of Birds, there is a link to a brochure in English (PDF) with good information about the Naturzentrum Neeracherried, opening times, group tours, and how to reach the center by car or public transportation.

To watch a film about the long-eared owl, Swiss Bird of the Year, click here.

Papiliorama

The Papiliorama Park was founded by the Dutch biologist Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond and his wife Catherine in 1988. It has undergone massive extensions since then and has been part of the Fribourg landscape since 2003. The highlights of this center are three huge, enclosed, glass domes: the Papiliorama, or butterfly house, The Jungle Trek, a replica of a nature preserve in Belize called “Shipstern,” and my favorite, the Nocturama, which houses nocturnal animals.

The Papiliorama, or butterfly house, has over 1000 butterflies comprising 60 different species flitting about freely in a light-filled lush tropical environment laden with giant shrimp plants. Do not be surprised if a butterfly or two lands on your arm or shoulder! On our last visit, a Blue Morpho butterfly landed on my arm and stayed long enough for photographs. The secretive butterfly’s life cycle is particularly intriguing and is showcased in a live exhibit, providing adults with an opportunity to discuss reproduction, life and death with their children. For those who enjoy fact-finding adventures, there are signposts with information such as the scientific names of the butterfly species, their host plants, habitat, and geographic range. Within the dome there is also a small arthropod house full of poisonous spiders and scorpions.

The Jungle Trek is characterized by dry forests, mangrove swamps and orchid pools. This humid and warm environment reminds me of my native Florida, filled with the sights and sounds of the tropics. There are roseate spoonbills, toucans, cardinals, jays and of course a variety of New World monkeys and a myriad of mammals. There is tower to climb and a seven-meter-high bridge to pause on and observe the flora and fauna within the tree canopy.

The Nocturama, home to nocturnal animals like the long-nosed bats, is draped in artificial moonlight. Sloths, tree porcupines and ocelots can be observed moving, foraging and, yes, reproducing in a replica of an American forest environment. Upon entering the dome you should be prepared for minimal light and a very distinct odor (bat guano), which might be disturbing to some visitors. This is without doubt my favorite exhibit at the Papiliorama Center, because it is unique and thrilling to experience bats flying around your head!

In addition to the domes, there are a playground and three outside exhibits to enjoy: Native Swiss Butterfly Garden, the Zoé Zoo (a petting zoo), and the new Live Bee exhibit. The playground is constructed to be dynamic, which means that children who explore, creating paths and building dams in the river, are allowed to make a mark on their environment. The bee exhibit is especially meaningful due to the current demise of wild bee populations in North America and Europe. There are signposts about miner bees, bumble bees and other species, as well as bee hotels you can replicate and have at home to encourage growth of bee populations.

This summer and autumn the Papiliorama has several children’s programs on Wednesday afternoons such as: “What is Crawling There?” “Native Butterflies,” “The Spiders, The Spiders!” and in September “Autumn in the Forest.” Programs are organized in German and French and included in the normal entrance fee.

There is a cafeteria and gift shop as well as abundant picnic areas. The Papiliorama is open each day except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. All information is available in English in addition to German and French.

By Teresa Müller

Teresa is an earth scientist and instructor by education and an avid traveler and adventurer by nature. She has three boys ages 32, 19 and 16.

Photos by Daniel  Müller