Unwrap the Magic of the Holidays at Butterfly Pavilion this December!
Celebrate the season with unforgettable experiences at Butterfly Pavilion! From groundbreaking virtual reality journeys to surprise wildlife encounters and a chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour, there’s something magical for everyone this December.
New Destination: Conservation Exhibit
Butterfly Pavilion invites guests to embark on a global journey with Destination: Conservation, a groundbreaking virtual reality experience that brings Butterfly Pavilion's conservation projects to life. Using VR headsets, visitors can "travel" to Mongolia to witness efforts to protect the Parnassian butterfly, explore Tanzania’s innovative bee fences that reduce elephant-human conflict, visit Sumatra's sustainable butterfly farming initiatives, and soar over the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. This immersive adventure is free with admission, offering an inspiring look at how Butterfly Pavilion is transforming lives and landscapes around the globe. Donations to support these vital conservation programs are welcome.
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Enter to Win a Behind-the-Scenes Tour at Butterfly Pavilion!
Ever wondered what it’s like to explore the secret world of animals not on public display? Now’s your chance! Butterfly Pavilion is offering TWO lucky winners and their guests an exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Tour to discover the hidden gems of our invertebrate zoo. This unforgettable experience will give you a rare peek into areas not accessible to the public, featuring some of the fascinating creatures that call Butterfly Pavilion home. From expert-led insights to up-close encounters, this tour is perfect for animal lovers, curious adventurers, or anyone ready to witness the magic of Butterfly Pavilion like never before.
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Mystery Animal Tuesdays
From now until the end of year, Butterfly Pavilion is relaunching Mystery Animals, every Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Immerse yourself in a world of wonder as we unveil captivating creatures each Tuesday. But here's the catch – you'll have to see them with your own eyes to uncover the mystery! Mystery animal provides an opportunity to see some animals we don’t often have a chance to display regularly at the zoo. The animals are joined by one of our excellent exhibit educators who provide background information and answer questions about the animals. Find us at Wings of the Tropics butterfly conservatory to experience this exclusive, limited-time interaction.
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Beauty of the Birdwing
Join us to witness butterflies all the way from Sumatra, Indonesia! We have transported our first shipment of CITES-listed birdwings (*Troides helena*) from our Ketambe Butterfly Project—a complex accomplishment that has been a long time in the making. These butterflies come from our Sumatra butterfly farm, where we breed and provide butterflies to accredited zoos, supporting ethical animal care and on-the-ground conservation.
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Butterfly Quest
Imagine a visual scavenger hunt to find specially tagged butterflies flying amongst nearly 2,000 in a butterfly conservatory. Butterfly Quest provides just that through a unique opportunity to assist with Butterfly Pavilion’s research. Guests look for and observe tagged butterflies, record meaningful data, and share discoveries — all on an easy-to-use form on their phone. Daily during visiting hours, included with admission. Data collected through Butterfly Quest, a longevity study, helps Butterfly Pavilion scientists track various butterfly species life span, how butterflies act, what they eat, and if any changes need to be made in the zoo’s Wings of the Tropics butterfly house. The findings are shared with other zoos around the world to promote healthy animal care practices.
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