Nature's
Sanctuary
The
Pulilan Butterfly Haven
- Philippine Graphic, October 4, 1999
Mother
Nature got a helping hand last September in her campaign to protect
the most fragile member of the animal kingdom. Amid misty rain showers
that cooled an otherwise humid September day, the Pulilan Butterfly
Haven was inaugurated in simple rites befitting the life of its humble
owner, Mrs. Estelita A. Caleon-Aguirre, widow of Pulilan former Vice
Mayor Honorato C. Aguirre. Set in
the midst of Bulacan Province, the Haven is an oasis of tranquility
in an increasingly urbanized community, and is, in Mrs. Aguirre's own
words, her "gift to the young people of Pulilan, so that they might
see in these delicate creatures the beauty and fragility of nature."
The
Haven occupies a portion of the spacious Caleon-Aguirre ancestral home,
where the family also operates the Pulilan Orchid Farm. Separated from
the main orchid farm by a thin gauze netting, the Haven is a beautifully
landscaped enclosure of exotic flora and fauna. A small manmade waterfall
and lily pond provide a cool contrast to the heat of the tropical sun,
and a gracefully arched little bridge serves as an ideal spot for visitors
wishing to take photographs of the Haven. Behind the fall, a cave serves
as the Haven's "butterfly nursery," with pupae suspended from its wall.
An exhibit room at the entrance to the Haven provides visitors with
a photographic record of the butterflies' life cycle, and a visual display
of its odyssey from courtship to mating to laying of minute eggs which
undergo transformation from caterpillar to pupae to an adult butterfly.
Amidst
the lush vegetation of the Haven, scores of butterflies flit endlessly
from leaf to leaf, their multi-hued wings a striking counterpoint to
the greenery. Ranging from large monarch butterfly with their elegant
black and brown finery to delicate crimson and violet butterflies no
larger than an infant's palm, these fragile aviators of nature are a
source of constant delight to visitors to the Haven. Inspired by a similar
undertaking in Palawan Island, one of the Philippines' tourist spots,
Mrs. -Aguirre hopes that the Haven will serve not only as a sanctuary
of beauty and serenity in an otherwise bustling metropolis, but also
as a gentle reminder of the timeless importance of man's role as a steward
of nature. Mrs. Aguirre is the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue and a poetess by avocation with two published books
of poetry, "Abutin Mo Ang Bituin" and "Kay Sarap Mabuhay."
