{"id":16163,"date":"2016-09-04T03:51:44","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T09:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drfumblefinger.com\/wrdprs\/?p=16163"},"modified":"2016-06-27T22:20:11","modified_gmt":"2016-06-28T04:20:11","slug":"niagara-parks-butterfly-conservatory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/drfumblefinger.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/niagara-parks-butterfly-conservatory\/","title":{"rendered":"Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Niagara peninsula is one of my favorite places in Canada.\u00a0 Not just because of majestic thunderous Niagara Falls, but because of the many parks and gardens, the beautiful vineyards, lovely small towns, and that marvel of engineering that is the Welland Canal.\u00a0 And it’s home to my favorite cousin, Liz, who has shown me the highlights of the peninsula during a number of visits, including my last stop there when we made a point of going to the Butterfly Conservatory.\u00a0 The Butterfly Conservatory opened in 1996 and is a special place, home to over 2,000 tropical butterflies.<\/p>\n

The Butterfly Conservatory is situated on the grounds of beautiful Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, about a 10 minute drive north of Niagara Falls.\u00a0 Your visit begins with a short informative video presentation and then you set off to see the butterflies.\u00a0 There are 60 different colorful species of butterflies that live in the 1022 sq m (11,000 sq ft) Conservatory, which provides a climate-controlled, humid, tropical environment for them.\u00a0 There are 180 m (590 ft) of paths that let you walk through the conservatory and provide you a chance to identify and interact with a large variety of lepidoptera.\u00a0 The attraction is open year round and can accommodate about 300 guests\/hour.<\/p>\n

You’ll often find the butterflies resting on plants, fluttering about, sitting on people’s bodies, and sucking nectar at one of the feeding stations.\u00a0 Fine screens keep the butterflies away from the glass dome which is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter for these delicate creatures to rest on.\u00a0 Visitors who want the butterflies to land on them should stand still or move very slowly.\u00a0 The insects are attracted to bright clothes and perfume.<\/p>\n

\"Butterfly,

Butterfly, Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservancy<\/p><\/div>\n

Captive butterflies are short-lived, having a life span of about 2\u20134\u00a0weeks.\u00a0 So the conservatory imports up to 3,000 butterflies per month from farms in such far-reaching countries as Costa Rica, Australia and the Philippines.\u00a0 Some 45,000 butterflies are produced (“hatched”) at the Conservatory each year.<\/p>\n

I love to watch butterflies, so for me this visit was a real treat.\u00a0 If you have lots of time and good luck, you might want to see a butterfly crawl out of it’s chrysalide in the Conservatory.<\/p>\n

The Butterfly Conservatory sits in an botanical garden which also includes an outdoor butterfly garden with plants and butterflies native to Ontario. The Botanical Gardens has over 80 acres of plants, trees and such — over 1,000 different species.\u00a0 The Conservatory is also home to a school of Horticulture, whose students manicure the garden and take excellent care of the vegetation.\u00a0 During the summer, horse-and-carriage tours are available for those who want to explore the gardens in style.<\/p>\n

Admission Prices
\n<\/strong>\u00a0– Botanical Garden:\u00a0 Free admission.\u00a0 Open sunrise to Sunset
\n– Butterfly Conservatory: $14.25 Adults (13+ years), $8.25 Children (6 to 12 years).\u00a0 Hours vary depending on the season.\u00a0 Children 5 and under are FREE!<\/p>\n

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