Animal Life in the Crystal Bridge

Plants aren’t the only things to call the Crystal Bridge home. Lizards, fish and butterflies are among the creatures that dart, swim and flit throughout the Crystal Bridge’s tropical environment. Their free reign means guests never know when a lizard might peek out from a rock or a butterfly might land gracefully on a petal.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians in the Crystal Bridge include the American anole, Cuban anole, day geckos, house gecko, tokay gecko, leopard gecko, bronze frog, green tree frog and greenhouse frog. The lizards have been extremely successful in adapting to the environment of the Crystal Bridge – the anole in particular. Two species of anoles, Anolis carolinensis, originating in the southeast U.S., and Anolis sagrei, native to islands of the Caribbean Sea, have established thriving populations in the Crystal Bridge.

Birds

Muffin and Bo jangles are the rulers of the roost in the Crystal Bridge. The pair are double yellow-headed Amazon parrots that were donated to the gardens in 1993. The parrots reside in the lobby of the conservatory and entertain guests with their antics and loud talking.

Butterflies

The zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius), a tallow and black tropical butterfly native to the southern U.S., was introduced to the Crystal Bridge in 1993. This species was selected because the caterpillar feeds only on passion vine and does not damage any of the other plants in the Crystal Bridge. After the caterpillars spin themselves into their chrysalises, they are gathered up and kept in a special chrysalis case until they are ready to emerge as winged adults. These butterflies are then released into the Crystal Bridge. The adult butterflies are happy to stay right in the conservatory to remain close to their food supply.

Fish

Fish were among the first animals introduced at the gardens. There are a variety of small fish swimming throughout the pond and stream system that are native to the tropical aquaria. Tropical fish in the Crystal Bridge include Pacu, Jack Dempsey Cichlid, Oscar, Albino Oscar and Plecostomus.