By Bonnie Neely

Amid the hustle and bustle of busy Greenville, South Carolina, it is possible to seek refuge in the beauty of nature right in the middle of the city. At the Roper Mountain Science Center you can bring a picnic to enjoy on the several picnic tables throughout the cool, serene walkways and trails all around the grounds and through the rainforest. In July each year the Butterfly Adventure features butterflies that will alight right on you, especially if you are wearing bright colors or a floral print.

Both school groups and visitors from the general public enjoy visiting year-round because so many aspects of nature are on display. Take your time in each room to learn the details about the lives of many species from both water and land, as well as facts about nature that our forebears knew because they lived rurally and took their sustenance from the land. Much of this knowledge has been forgotten as people have come to live more modern, urban lives.

In the Marine Lab visitors view sea creatures in six aquariums or actually handle those that live at the bottom of the sea in the tide-pool tank. At the Living History Farm they experience life as it was in the 1800s by way of costumed interpreters who work in a barn, a farmhouse and a blacksmith's shop. They'll experience gardens, fields and a pond along with the animals that live there.

During the Butterfly Adventure visitors get to interact so up-close personally that as they leave they must be checked by an employee to make sure the butterflies that landed on them haven't remained. It's also important to walk carefully around the enclosed environment so as not to step on any that perched on the pathway. It's hard to look down with hundreds of colorful wings moving all around .

The large groups of children who visit during this special summer event come in at staggered times so that no one is crowded and the butterflies aren't overwhelmed. Each person is given a "magic wand" of nectar with which to lure and feed the winged creatures, but no one is allowed to touch the butterfly when it lands. Being able to watch how it sucks the nectar is one of the most fascinating parts of the day.

Equally fascinating, however, are the weekly Starry Nights programs in the Hooper Planetarium and Daniel Observatory. The program changes throughout the year, so visitors can come repeatedly and always be assured they'll learn about new parts of the sky.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information: www.ropermountain.org

Bonnie Neely is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Butterflies enchant visitors to Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, South Carolina, during July's Butterfly Adventure. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.