More than 7,500 tropical butterflies will freely flutter about the five-story, 15,000-square-foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids next month.
The annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition is set to open March 1. Organizers say it’s the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the country.
The butterflies — which hail from places like Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Kenya — will be free to roam the balmy, temperature-controlled conservatory, and can be spotted drinking nectar from flowers and feeding stations. Visitors can also view the butterflies’ chrysalides and cocoons in an Observation Station for a closer look.
“We invite and encourage you to dig deep into the details for an up-close experience — zooming in on the beauty of these unique creatures through the microscope theme,” said Steve LaWarre, vice president of horticulture. “We’ve added new Exploration Stations in the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse, where guests can use magnifying glasses to enjoy a unique view of the plant material that helps butterflies thrive.”
Of course, guests are asked not to touch the delicate butterflies.
Species expected to appear at the event include the blue common morpho, the clearwing, lacewing, zebra mosaic, the emperor, and ruby-spotted and orchard swallowtails, among others.
The butterflies will be on display through April. A number of auxiliary events, including a “Butterfly Ballet,” a lecture on butterfly metamorphosis, and a Tuesday-night butterfly hunt in the outdoor gardens with flashlights, are also planned.
See meijergardens.org for more information.
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