GREENSBORO — People can get up close and personal with butterflies with the latest addition to the Greensboro Science Center.
Along with the new Cole Family Monarch Conservation Center and Butterfly House, visitors can also experience the butterfly’s life cycle as part of a traveling exhibit in the form of a maze. Both officially debut on Friday.
“Both exhibits are made to bring conservation awareness to children of different ages,” said Rebekah Robinson, who handles public relations and social media for the science center. “The maze shows the learning process, while the garden is an example of the real-life experience.”
In the butterfly house and garden, visitors start their journey at the Crystal Chamber, which shows the beginning stages of a caterpillar’s life as it remakes itself into a butterfly. People can look through the glass to see the process. After the caterpillars morph into butterflies, the technicians move them into the garden.
Volunteers and butterfly technicians will answer questions that explain the lifespan of monarch butterflies. Inside, native butterflies fly everywhere with the plants creating a safe habitat for them.
People are also reading…
The purpose is to bring conservation awareness about the monarch butterfly and show others how easy it is to help them survive. People can help by planting milkweed plants because the larva needs it to become a butterfly. The butterfly house is one of many conservation projects at the science center, which donates 25 cents of each ticket to conservation efforts.
Henry Thomas, a butterfly expert who will be a part of the conservation experience, said the types of plants in the conservation center are also important.
“There are several different species of butterflies that require a certain amount of a plant to survive,” he said. “The dry tree plant is one of the plants that we have worked hard to maintain for the caterpillar because, without it, they will quickly decay.”
The butterfly house hosts monarchs as well as other types of butterflies. One of the challenges in creating the center was finding and maintaining the proper plants for all seven species that are featured. Workers use an extra greenhouse to grow all of the plants with proper care. According to conservationists, the lack of the milkweed plant, the main source of food for butterflies, is causing their decline globally.
The back of the garden features a mural by local artist Jeks with multicolored butterflies as a background to blend in with the flowers. There is even a physical art station that allows children to digitally “paint” butterflies. Along with the tour, visitors can see butterflies animated through the Greensboro Science Center app. People can use the app to make any butterfly in the house animated. They can also use the app to reserve a spot in line.
For butterfly lovers looking for more, the Greensboro Science Center has added a traveling exhibit with hands-on learning.
Amazing Butterflies, created by The Natural History Museum in London in collaboration with Minotaur Mazes, will be open until Sept. 11. Each station offers an interactive activity for children, including a magnetic butterfly maze, life-sized butterfly crystals, nectar bottles, and a life-sized spider web made out of ropes that children can climb on.
Erica Brown, the science center’s marketing director, said it has been rewarding watching people learn more about butterflies “up close and personal.”
“After all the hard work that was put into this project, it feels nice to see the success of it all,” Brown said.
PHOTOS: Butterfly conservation center at Greensboro Science Center
Contact Tanasia Moss at 336-373-7371.
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.