Friday, June 13, 2008

Butterfly Conservatory

The Butterfly Conservatory is a year round tropical paradise! It's located on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens.

It is easy to loose track of time in the world's largest glass enclosed butterfly conservatory. Before you know it you will find yourself transported to an exotic green and heavily misted rainforest.

Insider Tip: Wear colorful clothing and you might be lucky enough to have a butterfly land on you. A Black Dress worked out just fine for Ravi!!

A butterfly just didnt want to go away from him and i was like we were going to take it all the way home!!

This award winning 1,022 square meter structure (11,000 sq ft) is filled with 2000 free flying butterflies. There are about 45 species feeding from blooms and fruit feeding stations all around you.

We followed a 180 meter (600 ft) pathway through lush gardens surrounding a man made waterfall. The cut curbs allow for total accessibility.

Butterflies feeding

Emergence area gives a first hand look into the life cycle of the butterfly. You can actually see butterflies unfurling from their chrysalides and taking flight, if you are lucky. Well We were Lucky enough for that!!

The Butterfly Conservatory is really something worth seeing, thought it can be quite busy. Actually people say its crowded in mornings, but I personally feel it makes no difference when you intend to visit. Any time u go will have a handful of people around. The Conservatory is open till 5 pm so people intend to drop by before then.

There is a gift shop, cafe, and fully accessible washrooms.

During the summer months, you can enjoy the outside Butterfly Garden amid the 80 acres (40 hectares) of the Royal Botanical Gardens. We can make a note of what plants attract our native butterflies. But Since Summer had still days to come, all the butterflies were inside and gardeners were planting for these butterflies to come out in Summer.Lovely Blue Butterfly

Educational Facts: 70 % of butterflies are obtained from special breeding farms in tropical, semi tropical Costa Rica, the Phillipines and Florida. The remaining breeding happening in NPC's own greenhouses.

The lifespan of butterflies is short, so new additions are made weekly to enhance the viewing size population.

Eurasian quails, turtles, goldfish, toads, and beetles . . . -clear dead butterflies -control parasitic pests -keep the insect population balanced.

The exhibit hall lets you observe live caterpillers, enjoy interactive displays and brush up on all kinds of info on the life of butterflies.

School visits can be arranged focusing on butterflies and their ecological imprtance. Butterfiles offer clues to a healthy environment. They are a source of pollination.

The flora (labeled for easy identification) provide a food source for caterpillers who in turn become food for preditors up the food chain.





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Address - 2405 Niagara River Parkway, 9 km (5.6 miles) north of the Falls in the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens (South of the Floral Clock.)


Schedule - Open daily, except Dec 25 from 9am to 5pm. In the summer they are open from 9am to 9pm


Opening Time - 9:00 a.m.
Closing Times -
January 1 to March 7: 5 p.m.
March 8 to 16: 6 p.m.
March 17 to April 27: Monday to Friday 5 p.m., Weekends and holidays 6 p.m.
April 28 to June 10: 8 p.m.
June 11 to September 2: 9 p.m.
September 3: 8 p.m.
September 4 to October 7: 6 p.m.
October 8 to December 31: 5 p.m.
Closed December 25

Please note that longer waiting periods may occur during the summer months.


Cost - Adults $11.00 Kids 6 -12 $6.50; 5 and under Free; Last ticket sold 30 minutes prior to closing. Included in Adventure Pass (if you plan to buy one)


Facilities - Wheelchair accessible, washrooms, gift shop, cafe, snack bar,

Butterfly Conservatory reservations taken at
Telephone - 905 358-0025

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