We are excited to bring SOAR – Tropical Butterflies back for its third year! We’re bringing back some of our visitors’ favorite butterflies, including the popular blue morpho, however, what we are really excited about this year is our new Butterfly Feeding Experience. Yes, you read that correctly! This year, guests have the opportunity to feed our butterflies! Learn more about this add-on experience and what else you can expect from this year’s exhibit below. 

NEW THIS YEAR

  • As mentioned above, this year guests can purchase the Butterfly Feeding Experience for an additional $6 and choose from a flower vial or ring filled with nectar to use while inside the pavilion to help entice butterflies to come close for the optimum and most immersive experience. There will be one vial per Butterfly Feeding Experience ticket holder, which is returned at the end of the experience.  For Butterfly Feeding Experience tickets, please click here. 
  • We will be offering a SOAR Photo Pass ticket from 10 to 11 a.m. on most Wednesdays that will allow you to bring in additional camera equipment and allow more time in the pavilion to guarantee you get “the shot.”  For photo pass tickets, please click here. 
  • There is a brand-new photo opportunity located in the planter bed just before you get to SOAR. You won’t want to miss it! Make sure to share your photo on Instagram with @scbgarden and use hashtags #SOARTropicalButterflies and #scbgarden 
  • YOU can be part of the exhibit! Gifts to our Annual Flourish Fund will be recognized on a brand-new Wall of Wings feature outside of the exhibit. Learn more about it here
  • We have some additional signage this year to make it as much of an educational experience as it is an immersive one! 
  • Both the Host and Nectar Garden and the pavilion have been replanted.
  • The species you’re most likely to see inside the pavilion include:
    • Owl butterflies
    • Blue morphos
    • Golden long wing
    • Blue frosted banner 
    • Giant swallowtail
    • Rusty tipped page 
    • Malachite
    • Gold rim swallowtail

 


 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • Wearing bright colors, like the colors of your favorite flowers, can attract the butterflies to come closer to you, and maybe even land on you!
  • No strollers or wagons are allowed inside the pavilion, but there is stroller parking available behind the pavilion. Ask an employee or volunteer if you need help finding stroller parking.
  • There are butterfly souvenirs available for purchase at our kiosk in Palm Circle, including children’s butterfly wings, butterfly guidebooks, butterfly gardens, hats, visors and more. 
  • On cloudy days, butterflies will not be as active as they are on sunny days.  Butterflies are a lot like little solar collectors.  Butterflies use the energy from the sun to get them moving.  If it is a cloudy day, keep a close eye on the undersides of trees and bushes for roosting butterflies (this is a great way to get an up-close look at them). Ask a SOAR Guide to help you find them inside the pavilion!
  • Consider bringing a small pair of binoculars with you, to get a better view of butterflies perched high in the exhibit.
  • SOAR begins before you enter the pavilion with an Emergence Chamber to view pupae, and a newly planted Garden area that features host and nectar plants to naturally attract butterflies and other pollinators.

 

 WHILE INSIDE THE PAVILION

  • Slow down and observe. Butterfly spotting takes patience!
  • Watch where you’re walking. The butterflies may go to the ground for warmth.
  • Ask questions – staff and volunteers want to help you experience and understand the magic of butterflies.
  • Visit the Emergence Chamber, where you can watch new butterflies and moths break out of their pupal cases. You might have to wait for a while to see one emerge, but it is well worth it.
  • Take lots of pictures! Where else will you have that many butterflies within reach of your camera lens? Be sure to tag @scbgarden in your Instagram posts and use hashtags #SOARTropicalButterflies and #scbgarden 
  • Check for hitchhikers before you exit the butterfly house. Ask a friend to make sure no butterflies have perched on your back. Staff and volunteers will help with this as well.
  • Food or drinks are not allowed in the pavilion.
  • Stay on the pathways and avoid stepping onto the plant beds.
  • Avoid touching the plants or picking the flowers.
  • Do not pick up or handle the butterflies, unless a staff member invites you to do so.

 


 

FAQ’s

  1. What type of tropical butterflies are in the pavilion? There are many types of butterflies from the equatorial tropics, and it is changing weekly depending on availability with the possibility of having up to 98 species throughout the whole SOAR opening! Come back often to see the different species throughout the season! 
  2. Are the butterflies collected from the wild?  NO! Butterfly farmers raised all of the butterflies in this exhibit. Butterflies are raised on these farms specifically for use in butterfly exhibits. Butterfly farming helps with butterfly conservation education and outreach, like birdwing butterflies, some of which are endangered or threatened in their native habitat.
  3. Where are the butterflies in this exhibit from? The tropical butterflies came from farms in the United States and Costa Rica.
  4. How many butterflies are in the pavilion? At any given time, there are about 300-500 butterflies in the pavilion. On average there are about a dozen different species at one time inside the pavilion.
  5. How long do the butterflies live? Each species has a different life span. Feel free to converse and talk to our staff and volunteers in the pavilion to learn more!
  6. How often do we receive pupa/butterfly shipments? Shipments of pupae are received weekly.
  7. Where did the plants inside the pavilion come from? They were purchased from local nurseries, so they are plants you can find and plant in your own garden.
  8. Are any of the pavilion plants (inside or outside) available for purchase at the Garden? No, not at this time. We do have some plants for sale that can be found in the Garden, but we do not have host or nectar plants available for purchase at this time.
  9. Why aren’t they flying around?  During cold mornings and cloudy/rainy days, butterflies will not be as active as they are on sunny days. Butterflies are a lot like little solar collectors and use the energy from the sun to get them moving. If it is a cold/cloudy day, keep a close eye on the undersides of trees and bushes for roosting butterflies (this is a great way to get an up-close look at them).
  10. What happens to all of the butterflies at the end of the exhibit run? They are allowed to live out the rest of their lives in the exhibit. Due to USDA regulations, these butterflies (that were raised by butterfly farmers) cannot be released into the wild due to the potential of introducing pathogens to our local/native butterfly populations as well as potentially affecting our local/native plant communities.
  11. What do butterflies eat? Butterflies eat many different things. Butterflies can only eat liquids because their mouthparts resemble a drinking straw (proboscis).  Foods include flower nectar, rotten fruit, plant sap, dung, and even dead animals!
  12. Can I touch them? Do not try to grab butterflies or pick them up.  If a butterfly lands on you, that is OK.  Enjoy the visit of the butterfly, but remember not to touch or grab the butterfly.
  13. Why do the butterflies land on us? The butterflies may be attracted to floral perfumes or the color of your clothing.  The butterflies may also be looking for food (they do like sticky-faced kids and sweaty people).  Yummy!

Get your SOAR tickets today!


The Garden relies on generous donations from our Members, visitors and community to keep access to our 87 acres open for all and to provide unique horticultural experiences that help people find connections with nature. Please help us continue this mission for years to come by considering a gift to the Garden. You can do so here.