Our Exhibits | Magic Wings Butterfly House

Magic Wings is one of only ten “total immersion” butterfly houses in the country. Among our most popular attractions, Magic Wings is a thrill for visitors of all ages. A 17,000 square-foot building with a dramatic 30-foot-high conservatory, Magic Wings is among the largest butterfly houses in the world.

Butterflies

With this extraordinary facility, the Museum makes it possible to come into intimate contact with exotic butterflies in the indoor tropical environment. You’ll experience not only the physical beauty of nature, but the stunning interactions of plant and animal species in a complex, yet balanced natural setting. We maintain a tropical climate of 80 degrees year-round which feels great during winter months and refreshingly cool when outside temperatures are climbing.

Hundreds of tropical butterflies flutter around you as they course through trees and hover over nectar-producing flowers. Watch butterflies drink from a flowing stream or perched on a butterfly feeder. If you wear a bright shirt, butterflies are likely to land on you!

Lush vegetation creates a beautiful habitat for exotic species such as the slow-flying blue morpho butterfly or 6” wide giant owl-eye. Native species such as swallowtails, monarchs, and blue-spotted purples from the five Lepidoptera families have their own appropriate habitat in a seasonal, energy-efficient shade cloth structure.

Chrysalis Exhibit

Experience the close-up wonder of butterflies emerging from the chrysalis, and learn about the complete metamorphosis of the relatively short Lepidoptera life cycle from caterpillar to pupa to wings at the Chrysalis Exhibit.

Tropical Plants and Flowers

To provide a natural habitat for the tropical butterflies, Magic Wings contains over 250 species of plants. Flowering plants that are known to be favorite nectar and pollen sources for butterflies, such as Pentas and firebush, grow throughout the conservatory. A variety of beautiful flowering nectar plants are visible in the “meadow” next to the pond.

The east wall of the conservatory is known as the “Rainforest Wall” and houses trees, understory plants, and vines native to tropical rainforest habitats.

Half of the west wall nearest to the entrance has a “Fruit and Spice” theme, and includes familiar tropical fruits and spices like guava, mango, papaya, black pepper, coffee, and cacao (the source of chocolate), as well as exotic fruit trees such as the Jaboticaba and the Miracle Fruit that are usually only encountered in the tropics.

Water-loving tropical plants, including wild gingers and aroids, form a stream-side garden. The southwest corner of the conservatory, which gets the strongest sunlight, contains plants that are adapted to drier conditions, such as the shaving brush tree and the desert rose.