The South Coast Botanic Garden’s new exhibition features a pavilion filled with incredible tropical butterflies, allowing you to witness the complete life cycle of the vividly colored insects. This stunning spring exhibit will continue through July 31, featuring butterflies from all over the world, but the majority of them are native to North, Central, and South America. They are raised specifically for the exhibit by butterfly farmers who work to preserve forests and land.
Your journey into this natural world begins as you step into the new garden, featuring springtime super bloom with host and nectar plants designed to attract a range of pollinators, including moths, butterflies, bees and ladybugs. You’ll need to pay close attention and carefully seek out small eggs laid beneath the leaves. Still, nature is unpredictable and you might see something completely unexpected or nothing at all in this section of the exhibit.
However, you’re guaranteed to see butterflies at the chrysalis, or pupa, stage in the Emergence Chamber. This life cycle stage varies for every species, which makes the experience even more phenomenal.
Inside the butterfly pavilion, you’ll feel like Snow White with brightly colored, winged beauties surrounding you. If you’re lucky, some may land on you—this is more likely to p¡happen if you’re wearing bright colors or are wearing a sweet scent. According to the garden’s experts, they are also partial to sticky-faced kids and sweaty people.
Butterflies are mobilized by heat, so on sunny days, you’ll see them soar and on cold days they may be perched beneath leaves roosting. The latter is ideal for taking a closer look at them and taking pictures.
This is a truly magical way to understand the world around us and experience nature as it runs its course within these beautiful surroundings.
Advanced reservations can be made online here.
Featured Image: Unsplash