The kids and I hadn’t been to the Butterfly Pavilion in years and last week we got a chance to learn more about what they do and what they have to offer. We were all amazed at the things we didn’t know!
Things about bugs (with help from my kids!):
- Black Widows aren’t as dangerous as they seem – there hasn’t been a black widow fatality since
- There are over 50 “Rosies” and the Butterfly Pavilion actually breeds tarantulas for other uses including research and resale.
- Tarantulas are extremely fragile and dropping them can cause immediate death, just one cut and the spider can bleed to death.
- Cockroaches feel like a fingernail and they’re very clean – they clean themselves all the time – we just give them dirty habitats in which to live.
- Butterflies are different from moths in body style and Butterflies are active during the day instead of the night.
- Crickets smell really bad.
Things we didn’t know about the Butterfly Pavilion and thought you should know:
- They are happy to host weddings and grown up events along with kids birthday parties – in fact they have an event coming up this fall called “Bugs and Beer”!
- They have extensive outside gardens – including a ongoing project to restore the grasslands around the facility. Their current goal is to raise $15,000 to regrow the grasslands around the facility, providing an oasis for native plants and animals and a source for fresh water and enjoyment for the community! Please visit www.butterflies.org to make a donation!
- Since 2002, the Butterfly Pavilion has planted butterfly habitat gardens at 22 senior centers across the front range
- If you haven’t been there for a while, they’ve totally remodeled the Crawl-A-See-Em area and the area with the marine life – Water’s Edge! They look great!
- They imported 41,320 Pupae investing over 73K in sustainable business practice of
butterfly farming which provides a fair trade income to people in the tropics, keeping the rain forest intact and contributing to global conservation efforts. - The Butterfly pavilion was asked by the Denver Zoo to join a study focus on the importance of bison in prairie ecosystems. This is an ongoing study to collect data so that scientists and land managers may be able to strengthen the argument for the preservation of prairie habitats and help with conservation efforts.
Currently the Butterfly Pavilion is the only zoo dedicated to studying and breeding the world’s endangered tarantula populations. The program has already begun to have an impact on tarantula trade and is decreasing the need to remove species from the wild.- Admission is $5 after 3pm on Monday and Friday!
Our favorite tip? Their zoologists can identify bugs! Email your pictures to zookeepers@butterflies.org : and they will respond! (isn’t this the handiest info ever?). 
