Butterfly Conservatory Niagara Falls
The Butterfly Conservatory of Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens is a beautiful attraction for families. It’s located about 9 kilometers from Niagara Falls. It’s the largest conservatory of butterflies in North America, covering an area of 11,000 square feet. The conservatory is itself a tropical paradise, where more than 2000 butterflies of 45 different species can be observed flying wild near bushes and other plants.
A short video presentation is given to the tourists that introduces them to the life cycle and the importance of butterflies in the ecosystem. The visitors can walk the conservatory at their own pace, making it an ideal outing for all ages. The winding pathways attract both children and adults, as these pathways are decorated with different flowers and plants that create a serene and enchanting environment.
Several things are ‘hands-on’ at the conservatory: feeding trays where butterflies come to feed and where one gets a closer view of these sensitive creatures.
Emergence Windows
The Emergence Window is an excitement, anyone can see the butterflies coming out of their pupae, which gives an educational touch to the visit.
An open and inviting atmosphere is developed here, so visitors especially families with children will be eager to explore and learn more about the area.
Environment and Species Present
Green House
The environment of Butterfly Conservatory is accurately designed to look like a tropical rainforest. The conservatory is a special climate-controlled greenhouse to provide a warm moist environment important for the butterfly habitat. The overall experience is also enhanced with other decorations like lush greenery, colorful blooms, and gentle trickling. The meandering pathways of 180 meters allow visitors to walk and appreciate the beauty of the area. These pathways are surrounded by the flora that not only attracts the butterflies but also provides opportunities for the photographers.
Import of Butterflies
The different species of the conservatory include the striking blue morpho, the common monarch, and the elegant swallowtail. Each of the species plays a role in the beauty of the conservatory, making butterflies exhibit diverse patterns and colors to the amazement of those who are visiting the place. Each month, the facility imports more than 3000 butterflies from the beautiful farms of the world like Costa Rica. The reason for this import is that, the life span of an adult butterfly is 2-3 weeks only.
Flora
Along with the butterflies, the conservatory is also a home to variety of specific plants, that attract and maintain the butterfly population. To maintain a healthy environment for the butterflies and caterpillars, the facility chooses plants like Lantana, Ixora, and Zinnia. The great attention paid to the choice of plants and animals in the conservatory creates the right environment for butterflies’ cycles as well as promotes awareness of interdependency in ecosystems to the visitors.