Nation's Largest Temporary Butterfly Exhibition Draws Families from Across Michigan and Beyond

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan - More than 7,000 colorful butterflies from Central and South America, Asia, and Africa are currently transforming the Fred and Dorothy Fichter Conservatory into a living tropical paradise at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

The 31st annual exhibition, titled Butterflies are Blooming, has already welcomed visitors and is expected to draw a quarter million people through its final day on April 30. The exhibit runs from March 1 through the end of April at 1000 East Beltline Ave. NE in Grand Rapids.

"Around a quarter million people are once again expected to experience the 31st annual tropical butterfly exhibition at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, escaping the cold and blustery Michigan spring weather for a few hours," said Ruth Thornton, WKTV contributor who has covered the story extensively.

The butterfly exhibit stands as the nation's largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition, showcasing hundreds of species that visitors can watch emerge from chrysalises, spread their wings, and take flight in the five-story tall, 15,000 square foot tropical conservatory.

A Tradition Since Frederik Meijer Gardens Opened

Wendy Overbeck Dunham, director of horticulture at Frederik Meijer Gardens, has been working on the butterfly exhibit for more than 20 years. She explained that the exhibit has been a cornerstone of the garden since it first opened.

"The first butterfly exhibit was held the year Frederik Meijer Gardens opened," Overbeck Dunham said. "The idea was that in Michigan in March and April, we're past the beauty of winter and we've made it to that stage where things aren't quite warm enough to do stuff outside. You can visit the tropics without even leaving West Michigan this way."

The exhibit has become one of the garden's most popular attractions, drawing visitors from throughout Michigan and beyond. John VanderHaagen, the director of communications, noted that people from across the country make the trip to see the butterflies.

"We do see people from all over the United States during this exhibition," VanderHaagen said.

Visitors Lori and Mike Wuerth from Romeo, Michigan, recently made the journey to see the butterflies. They are members of the Detroit Zoo, which also boasts a butterfly house, and have visited butterfly exhibitions in Michigan and Canada.

"This exhibition rivals the nicest they had seen," Wuerth said. "Every year is different. The types of butterflies differ from year to year."

Butterflies Arrive Before Opening

The excitement begins well before the exhibition's opening day. Butterflies start arriving in mid-February, with the biggest shipments coming in at that time. That's when the massive tropical conservatory starts filling with winged visitors.

"Butterflies are farmed just like fruit crops are farmed," Overbeck Dunham explained. "Availability can depend on season, weather. Whether it's been rainy, whether it's been unusually cold where they come from, whether it's been extra dry."

On average, each butterfly lives and flies for about two weeks, depending on the species. Additional shipments keep coming until mid-April.

"As the exhibit goes, we are still getting almost 1,000 in a week," Overbeck Dunham said. "And then by mid-May, there'll be no more butterflies."

Hundreds of Species on Display

Every year, the exhibit features anywhere from 60 to 85 species, ranging from the small Costa Rica clearwing, which is aptly named for its transparent wings, to the common morpho, a strikingly blue visitor favorite from Central and South America and one of the largest butterflies in the world.

They also receive a few moth species, such as the impressive green African moon moth from sub-Saharan Africa.

"Butterflies are farmed just like fruit crops are farmed," Overbeck Dunham said. "Availability can depend on season, weather."

Popular common morph butterflies emerge from their chrysalises at the observation station. Their inner wings are a brilliant blue, drawing crowds of visitors who want to capture the moment on camera.

The Observation Station Experience

A popular spot for both adults and children alike is the observation station, where the newly arrived chrysalises are pinned on bars to hang, just like they would in their natural homes, until they transform into butterflies.

When butterflies emerge, what they'll do is they'll actually use the chrysalis husk or shell, and they'll hold onto that with their feet, their bodies. Their abdomens are initially swollen with liquid, and the wings are shriveled and folded.

"As the butterflies hang in the observation station, they pump the liquid from their abdomen to the wings, expanding them as they're preparing for flight," Overbeck Dunham explained.

When staff see that new butterflies are starting to fly around the observation station, they coax any that are ready into a little glass case for release into the larger butterfly exhibit.

"We'll walk out of here with a full case of butterflies sometimes," Overbeck Dunham said. "It's a wonderful opportunity for people to get pictures of a cluster, or a kaleidoscope of butterflies."

Bird and Butterfly Harmony

Besides insects, visitors can expect to see several birds flying and running around the exhibition. The garden has a tropical bird collection from tropics around the world, that includes finches, canaries, and Chinese painted quail.

Some visitors are worried that the birds might eat butterflies, but staff make sure the insects are not in danger.

"Our birds are primarily seed eaters, and that is intentional. So that when the butterflies are in here, there isn't a conflict," Overbeck Dunham said.

Families Return Year After Year

Amber Nelson and her three girls, aged 8 years old and younger, from the Coopersville area, said the stunning blue common morph butterflies are their favorites. Nelson said they've been coming to the butterfly exhibit for three or four years.

"The kids just love the butterflies, their bright colors," Nelson said. "And being able to have a nice, slow walk and look at the butterflies until we get hungry."

"I get excited by it every year, it's my favorite time of year," Overbeck Dunham said. "If I'm in here and one is in the process, I can't help but stop and take a moment and watch, because it's still just the coolest thing in the world to me."

Tickets and Special Events

For more information about the exhibition, visitors can visit the Fred and Dorothy Fichter Butterflies are Blooming website. Tickets can be purchased online at MeijerGardens.org/tickets or at the entry desk.

Multiple special events are featured throughout March and April, some of which require an RSVP.

The exhibit continues to be one of Grand Rapids' most beloved seasonal attractions, offering families an incredible opportunity to witness nature's most beautiful transformations right here in West Michigan.