Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory facts for kids
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| Date opened | 1996 |
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| Location | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada |
| No. of species | 60 |
The Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory is a super cool place in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It's like a giant indoor rainforest where thousands of butterflies fly freely! This amazing conservatory is managed by the Niagara Parks Commission.
You can find it about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) north of the famous Niagara Falls. It's part of the huge Niagara Parks School of Horticulture grounds, which covers 40 hectares (about 100 acres).
Contents
Discover the Butterfly Conservatory!
The Butterfly Conservatory first opened its doors in December 1996. When it opened, it had a gift shop, a theater that could seat 200 people, and a special greenhouse. This greenhouse has a carefully controlled climate, just right for tropical butterflies.
What You'll See Inside
The conservatory is home to over 2,000 tropical butterflies. They come from more than 60 different species! The glass dome of the conservatory is very large, covering 1,022 square meters (about 11,000 square feet).
Inside, there are 180 meters (about 590 feet) of paths for you to explore. You'll walk through a wide variety of green plants and flowers. The conservatory is designed to welcome up to 300 visitors every hour.
Where Do the Butterflies Come From?
Butterflies usually live for only about 2 to 4 weeks. Because of this, the conservatory brings in up to 3,000 new butterflies each month. These butterflies come from special farms around the world. Some of these farms are in Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Philippines, and Australia.
There's special netting inside the glass dome. This netting helps keep the butterflies safe. It stops them from getting stuck to the glass or getting too cold.
What Do Butterflies Eat?
The conservatory has many plants that butterflies love to eat. These include plants like Lantana, Cuphea, Zinnia, Ixora, Liatris, and Pentas. These food plants are replaced every 2 to 3 weeks. Why so often? Because hungry caterpillars eat a lot!
How to Attract Butterflies
Want butterflies to land on you during your visit? Here are some tips! Try wearing bright clothes. Move slowly and gently. You can also wear a little perfume or cologne. Butterflies are often attracted to bright colors and sweet smells.
Other Animals in the Conservatory
Besides butterflies, other animals live in the conservatory too. You might spot Eurasian quails, turtles, goldfish, toads, and beetles. These animals are important because they help keep the insect population healthy and balanced in the conservatory.
The Butterfly Life Cycle
Don't miss the "Emergence area" during your visit! This is a special spot where you can watch the amazing butterfly life cycle up close. You can see butterflies hatching from their cocoons. Over 45,000 butterflies are born here every year!
Meet Some Butterfly Species!
The conservatory is home to many beautiful butterfly species. Here are just a few you might see:
- The banded orange
- The stunning blue morpho
- The common Mormon
- The cydno longwing
- The Doris longwing
- The Gulf fritillary
- The Julia
- The Low's swallowtail
- The famous monarch
- The mosaic
- The large owl butterfly
- The red lacewing
- The Sara longwing
- The small postman
