Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (LGBG) in Richmond, Virginia is bringing back their fan-favorite interactive butterfly exhibit, M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE!, for the summer beginning on April 16, 2022.
Butterflies LIVE! is an interactive exhibit in the North Wing of LGBG’s Conservatory. It will feature 90 different species of both native and tropical butterflies throughout the summer. After being canceled for two years in a row, both times due to COVID-19, the anticipation and excitement for this beloved exhibit is real.
As a public relations intern at LGBG, I was lucky enough to go to the media preview of Butterflies LIVE! three days before it opened. It was a magical experience; the array of differently colored butterflies was beautiful. I was able to get up close and personal with the butterflies, and some even landed on me!
There were two sets of locked doors when I stepped into the north wing of the conservatory. Mary Lincoln, exhibitions assistant/bug enthusiast from LGBG, was waiting to give me guidelines about the exhibit after stepping into the first set of doors. These guidelines include instructions to not grab the butterflies, a warning that they may land on me and a reminder that I cannot take them out of the exhibit. I then stepped into the exhibit and was able to watch the butterflies up close and take lots of pictures.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has been preparing this space for the butterfly exhibit for weeks, and it is complete with tropical plants, butterfly bushes and plates of fruit from the Garden Cafe. Basically, it is butterfly heaven.
Watching the butterflies drink nectar from the plants in the exhibit was a great reminder that they are vital for pollination. This is so important because almost 80% of crop plants depend on pollinators, and pollination is needed in all ecosystems to some extent.
Clara Aus, a butterfly charmer at LGBG and VCU student, was also present at the media preview. She had amazing skills with the butterflies and even made a TikTok holding one of the butterflies. Although there is no touching the butterflies allowed in the exhibit, she gave general tips on how to pick up a butterfly. If they are perched on a surface and not actively flying, it is safe to pick them up. The method is to hold out your index finger and middle finger as if making a peace sign and then close the fingers together with the butterfly’s wings between them. Using this method does not clamp down on any one part of the butterfly’s wings and therefore does not hurt the butterfly.
My favorite butterflies were the blue morpho butterflies, which look exactly like the blue butterfly emoji when their wings are open. Their wings are almost iridescent in the sunlight. Unfortunately, they practically only open their wings when flying. When they’re sitting and their wings are closed they are a grayish-brown color with a big spot resembling an eye to ward off predators. I assume these butterflies have a lot of predators because they have a very strange flight pattern. This made it a little difficult to get a good picture of their vibrant blue wings.
This exhibit will be open through Oct. 10, 2022, and I definitely recommend making a visit. Butterflies LIVE! is included in regular garden admission ($17 for adults, $8 for children), so after seeing the butterflies you can take a walk throughout the garden and see all the gorgeous summertime blooms.
