The butterfly garden and other living collections at the museum represent a type of play called “nature play.” This form of play can positively affect people by helping them to slow their pace and relax. With the presence of gardens and aquariums, the museum recognizes this important aspect of play.

Though it varies day to day, there are hundreds of butterflies flying in the garden at any given time.

Of course! Taking pictures does not harm the butterflies.

On average you will find 20 to 40 butterfly species flying in the garden on any given day.

You can find many species of tropical plants in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, including palms, orchids, and water plants.

In addition to the butterflies, the garden is home to a green aracari, a chameleon, several Chinese button quail, goldfish, turtles, and a tortoise.

Chinese Button Quail! The small quail are not only fun to watch, but they help to keep some of the insects in the garden under control, providing an environmentally friendly way for the museum to control pests.

Butterflies live, on average, about one to three weeks in the garden.

Yes! The emergence chamber has a clear glass front so you can watch as butterflies emerge from their chrysalises.

When butterflies first emerge, their wings are small and folded. To expand their wings large enough for flying, a butterfly has to hang upside-down so that blood can pump into its wings. Once the wings are fully expanded and hardened—this process can take a couple of hours or more—the butterfly is able to fly. When enough of the butterflies are ready to fly, the museum’s live collections team members gather them into a small cage, which is brought into the garden where the butterflies are released.

The butterfly is a type of insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. This means its lifecycle has four stages:

• Stage one: the egg. Much like chickens, all butterflies start out in eggs surrounded by hard shells before becoming caterpillars. These eggs often have beautiful designs on them.
• Stage two: the larva or caterpillar. Caterpillars are long and wormlike. They like to eat plants—lots of them.
• Stage three: the pupa or chrysalis. When in the chrysalis stage, butterflies do not eat. They can barely move at all in this stage.
• Final stage: the adult winged butterfly. In this stage, the insect flies around and uses its long proboscis to drink from flowers, fruit, and other fluids.

The butterflies in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden come to the museum from butterfly farms in tropical regions all over the world. These butterfly farms are ecologically sustainable and help to protect local rainforests. The museum’s indoor garden features butterflies from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia.

Each week the museum receives hundreds of pupae from butterfly farms all over the world. The chrysalises arrive in specially padded packages and, upon arrival, are carefully counted and checked for health. Those that pass inspection are sorted by species and attached to rods for hanging in the emergence chamber.

Adult butterflies eat a variety of liquid foods. The majority of the butterflies in our garden feed on nectar from flowers and the juices from fruit.

The temperature in the garden is kept at around 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and around 65 to 70 degrees at night.

Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden is approximately 1,800 square feet.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth, but there are a few general features that may help you recognize the difference. One way to identify these is to look at the antennae. Butterflies tend to have antennae that are straight with a slight bulge at the tip while moths have completely straight or feathered antennae. Also, butterflies tend to be active during the day, while moths are primarily active at night.

A visit to the lush, indoor butterfly garden can be added to a reception or special event (during non-public hours). Visit the Facility Rentals page or call 585-410-6332 for details.