The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, is dedicated to providing its visitors with a unique indoor experience to get up close and personal with thousands of free flying butterflies.
During our visit to the Conservatory, we recorded an episode for the Let’s Discover ON webseries:
A visit to the Conservatory will bring back childhood memories on learning the 4 stages of a butterfly’s life-cycle. In case you forgot that lesson, like we did, the 4 stages are: egg, caterpillar, pupa and butterfly. There’s also an “Emergence Window” with specimens at each stage within the life-cycle.
The climate-controlled environment varies between 24-28C with high humidity is also home to several varieties of tropical birds, plants and insects. Another unique feature about the Conservatory are the waterfalls and ponds which serve as home for tropical fish and red-eared slider turtles. There’s also Chinese painted quails that run about and feed on the butterflies at the end of their life-cycle.
Getting There:
It’s an easy drive along the 401 West followed by a few country roads to get to the Conservatory and during our visit we were pleased to find out that parking was FREE! The Conservatory is not accessible by public transit.
Availability & Cost:
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Conservatory however you can also save yourself some time and avoid any line-ups by purchasing your tickets online in advance of your visit. (Prices are subject to change)
- Adults – $13.25
- Seniors – $11.25
- Children – $7.00 (3-12) & FREE for kids below 2
Important things to keep in mind:
- Butterflies are attracted to bright colours and sweet smells
- Watch where you sit or step
- The last entry time for the day is 4PM
- The Conservatory is privately owned and does not receive any financial assistance from the Government.
Features for Kids & Special Events :
- Interaction with and the chance to hold other insects
- Colouring in the Activity Room
- Look out for Cheecho the friendly and chatty 6-year old parrot
- ‘BugFeast’ – A special event for kids during March Break
Other “Must-Do” Activities:
- A chat with one of the experts in the Live Insect Collection section
- Take lots of photos & videos and share them on social media using the hashtag #butterflyphotosafari
- Info on how you can create your own Butterfly Garden in 2016. The Conservatory has created an easy to follow guide on how to do so.
Here’s a quick checklist for your next visit:
As always, please visit the official Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory website to get the latest info before your visit.
Have any photos or videos you want to share? Send them over to @LetsDiscoverON.
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