Entering the Mariposas de Mindo (Mindo Butterfly Garden), I was greeted by the resident security guard, Nero, a beautiful charcoal gray 3 1/2 year old Neapolitan Mastiff who weighs 135 pounds. Despite Nero’s imposing presence, he’s a very lovable at heart and acts like a free spirited, playful puppy. In dog years, he’s a veritable teenager. I must say I really hit it off with Bruno as he posed for a number of photographs for me. Nero seems so gentle and harmless, but at the same time I would hate to get on his bad side. I can only imagine if some customer gave his owners a bad time, Nero would intervene and utilize his ample skills as security guard, with force if necessary. In my opinion, Nero is doing a very good job

Nero’s employer, Mrs. Rosie Gomez de la Torre, is the owner and founder of the Mariposas de Mindo. Born in Ecuador, Rosie was brought up in the United States only to return to her native country some 15 years ago. Settling down in Mindo, Rosie and her family started the Butterfly Gardens sometime in the late 1990’s - it became Mindo’s first eco-attraction. In this beautiful little garden, you’ll find over 20 species of butterflies in cultivation. The best time to observe the butterflies is early in the morning as they energize themselves by basking in the sun. If Nero, the resident security guard, is in a good mood, maybe he’ll pose for some pictures for you too!

Rosie and her family are ardent environmentalists in Mindo, a town where ecotourism finds itself clashing now with greedy developers. On the road to the gardens, you’ll see two road signs with environmental messages.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 5th, 2007 at 8:40 am and is filed under Ecuador, Nature, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.