Butterfly World facts for kids
Morpho peleides at Butterfly World
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| Date opened | March 28, 1988 |
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| Location | Coconut Creek, Florida, United States |
| Land area | 10 acres (4.0 hectares) |
| Coordinates | 26°16′06″N 80°10′17″W / 26.2684034°N 80.1713133°W |
| No. of animals | ~20,000 (butterflies) |
| No. of species | 50 (butterflies) |
Butterfly World is an amazing place located in Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida. It first opened its doors on March 28, 1988. This special park is known as the largest butterfly park in the entire world! It was also the very first park of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Today, Butterfly World is home to about 20,000 live butterflies, flying freely in beautiful habitats.
Contents
Discovering Butterfly World's History
How Butterfly World Began
After working as an electrical engineer, Ronald Boender decided to retire. He loved butterflies and started raising them at his home in Florida. He also grew the special plants that butterflies eat. In 1984, he created a company called MetaScience. This company helped provide butterflies raised on farms to zoos and universities.
The Idea Takes Flight
In 1985, Ronald Boender visited England. There, he met Clive Farrell, who started the London Butterfly House. After their meeting, Boender decided he wanted to create his own butterfly park in Florida. Boender and Farrell became partners. They began planning a new place that would be a fun public attraction. It would also be a place for research and a butterfly farm.
Growing Over the Years
Butterfly World officially opened on March 28, 1988. Since then, it has grown a lot! It now includes the biggest free-flight hummingbird aviary in the United States. An aviary is a large cage or enclosure for birds. There is also a Lorikeet Encounter, where you can interact with colorful lorikeets. The park also has a special research center for studying birds.
Exploring the Exhibits at Butterfly World
Butterfly World has many exciting areas to explore. Each one offers a unique experience with nature.
Paradise Adventure Aviary
This area is filled with beautiful fountains and ponds. It is a wonderful place where butterflies fly all around you. You can see many different kinds of butterflies here.
Hanging Garden & Butterfly Emerging Area
In this special section, you can see display cases. Inside, you will find hanging pupae. A pupa is the stage where a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. You can watch new butterflies slowly emerge from their pupae.
Tropical Rain Forest Aviary
Step into a lush tropical rainforest! This aviary has a lovely waterfall and many tropical plants. Free-flying birds also live here, along with many colorful butterflies.
Outdoor Gardens to Explore
- Grace Gardens: This is an outdoor botanical garden. It is full of beautiful flowering tropical plants.
- Wings of the World Secret Garden: This garden has one of the largest collections of flowering Passion Flower vines anywhere. Passion flowers are very important because many butterflies use them for food.
Jewels of the Sky Aviary
This aviary is home to many exotic birds. You can watch these beautiful birds as they fly and play.
Insect Museum and Bug Zoo
- The Museum/Insectarium: This area shows off many mounted specimens. You can see different kinds of beetles, scorpions, butterflies, moths, and other insects.
- The Bug Zoo: Here, you can see live insects up close! This includes water bugs, spiders, wasps, walking sticks, and mantises.
See How Butterflies Grow
Visitors can also look into the laboratory where butterflies are raised. You can see all the different stages of a butterfly's life cycle. This includes tiny eggs, hungry caterpillars, and the pupae stage.
Helping Butterflies: Conservation Efforts
Butterfly World is not just a fun place to visit; it also works hard to protect butterflies.
Supporting Passion Flowers
The Passiflora Society International was started at Butterfly World. This group helps encourage research on passion flowers. They also share important information about these plants. Passion flowers are a main food source for many types of butterflies.
Saving Endangered Butterflies
Butterfly World has also helped create the Boender Endangered Species Laboratory. This lab is at the University of Florida. It is working to bring back the Schaus swallowtail butterfly. This special butterfly is being reintroduced to Southern Florida, helping to save it from disappearing.
Gallery
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Archaeoprepona demophon
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Aristolochia gibertii
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Cethosia hypsea
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Family: ITHOMIDAE The Glasswings
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Malachite Butterfly
See also
In Spanish: Butterfly World para niños
