‘Extraordinary’ butterflies from around world on show at Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Fluttering in from all over the world in all their vibrant colors, discover the collection “Butterflies in the Garden” starting Friday, March 1, at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.
“There is no one place in nature where you could go to see the wide variety of butterflies that are a part of the Garden’s extraordinary exhibit,” said visiting lepidopterist Lucy Milas G. Salik. “It’s exciting to be able not only to share their beauty with guests but also to educate them on the importance of these powerful pollinators.”
The bontanic gardens have two lepidopterists, butterfly specialists, present to care for the insects in their new habitat.
Every year, the garden displays an exhibit to draw new visitors. Last year, they had the “World of Orchids” exhibit. Butterflies return this year as “one of the Garden’s most anticipated seasonal exhibits.”
So, witness the whimsical beauty of the thousands of butterflies in the largest exhibit of its kind in North Texas.
What butterflies will you see at Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Every butterfly species has a unique wing pattern. Those colors and designs unique to each kind are rooted in their DNA. Depending on the gene the species attains, will determine the hue and pattern that is present on their wings.
“One (WntA) that controls stripes and another (Optix) that controls color and iridescence in butterfly wings. When the researchers disabled the Optix gene, the wings appeared black, and when the WntA gene was deleted, stripe patterns disappeared.” according to the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Visitors will see thousands of patterns at the Fort Worth gardens exhibit, with species from Africa, Asia, and North and South America. A few of the species that you will see at the exhibit are:
Starry Night Butterfly (Hamadryas Iaodamia)
Mosaic (Colobura dirce)
Glass Wing (Greta oto)
Pink-Spotted Cattleheart (Parides photinus)
green Malachite (Siproeta stelenes)
Tiger Longwing (Heliconius hecale)
Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides)
What to know before visiting the butterflies in Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Fort Worth Botanic Gardens has free parking during regular business hours located off University Drive. The gardens open to the public at 8 a.m., and for members at 7 a.m. Last admission entry is at 4 p.m., and the gardens close at 5 p.m.
Children ages 0-5, free
Children ages 6-15, $6
Adult ages 16-64, $12
Senior, ages 65+, $10
To visit the Butterfly exhibit, there is an additional cost:
Children 5 and under attend for free.
Children ages 6-15, $8
Adults ages 16-64, $12
Seniors ages 65+, $10
Members receive a discounted rate. You can purchase tickets online or at the gardens.
This story was originally published February 27, 2024 at 12:00 AM.