Visitors Can Enjoy Up-Close Encounters with Thousands of Tropical Butterflies Flying Throughout Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory Plus New Butterfly-Themed Elements
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announces the return of the much-loved Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, now in its 30th year. This highly anticipated event, the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States, showcases the stunning diversity and intricate beauty of butterflies and moths. Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming, opening March 1 and running through April 30, invites visitors to celebrate the unique spectacle of thousands of tropical butterflies flying freely within the lush environment of the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
This exhibition represents a global journey, featuring more than 60 butterfly and moth species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. The five-story, 15,000-square-foot glass house provides the ideal tropical setting for these vibrant world travelers. Guests will experience species; from dazzling blue morphos and stealthy clearwings to majestic Atlas moths and elegant tree nymphs.
In addition to showcasing the butterflies' aerial ballet, the exhibition offers guests unique, up-close experiences at feeding stations with nectar plants and at the Observation Station, where thousands of chrysalides and cocoons emerge and reveal the magic of metamorphosis. Approximately 1,000 chrysalides are delivered to Meijer Gardens each week of the exhibition.
This year's milestone exhibition celebrates the tropics with vibrant flora displays of purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows. Guests can look forward to layered beds of bulbs, fresh hues of hyacinths, unique tulip varieties, and North American natives like Camassia quamash. The conservatory will also feature new elements, such as suspended feeding stations with tropical fruit slices and colorful arrangements of air plants, bromeliads, and orchids.
Volunteers
Various jobs and shifts are available. Contact Tony England at [email protected] or 616-974-5221.
Membership
Members of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park enjoy unique members-only events and exhibition openings, valuable discounts, and reciprocal benefits to more than 300 gardens nationwide. Exclusively for members, Meijer Gardens is open early the first full weekend of each month on Saturdays from 8 am–9 am and Sundays from 9 am–11 am. Learn more at: MeijerGardens.org/membership [MeijerGardens.org/membership __title__ MeijerGardens.org/membership]
Online Ticketing
Expedite entry and skip the ticketing line by reserving tickets online. Guests can visit MeijerGardens.org/tickets [MeijerGardens.org/tickets __title__ MeijerGardens.org/tickets] to purchase tickets online. When on-site, head directly to the Entry Desk for easy entry.
Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming is made possible by Fred and Dorothy Fichter and family; Howard Miller Company; The Meijer Foundation; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation; Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Media sponsors are Star 105.7 FM, WOOD-TV8 and Blue Lake Public Radio.
Media Contact
John VanderHaagen, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 6169753180, [email protected], www.MeijerGardens.org
SOURCE Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
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