clock 10 am – 5 pm

Museum of Life and Science

Exterior view of the Butterfly House
Explore | Exhibit

Butterfly House

One of the largest butterfly houses on the East Coast, Magic Wings Butterfly House features a 35-foot tall glass conservatory where guests of all ages can enjoy a total immersion experience surrounded by hundreds of tropical butterflies in a lush rainforest environment. One of the Museum’s most popular exhibits, Magic Wings is also home to the Insectarium, featuring a rare assortment of exotic insects and invertebrates from around the globe.

Woman holding a butterfly id guide takes a picture of girl with a butterfly on her elbow.

Global Butterflies

There are over typically 30-50 different species of tropical butterflies in Magic Wings from all over the world! Grab one of our butterfly ID guides and see if you can spot butterflies from the East Asia, Central and South America, and beyond.
Man holds a little girl up in the air to look at the tropical plants.

Tropical Plants

Magic Wings houses more than 200 species of tropical plants which provide nectar and resting places for our butterfly residents. Flowering pentas and firespikes can be found amidst unusual and rare tropical foliage plants or fruit and spice trees like coffee and cacao.
A girl in a green shirt looks at a butterfly id guide in front of a window with hanging chrysallises.

Emerging Wonders

Enjoy an up-close look at a part of the butterfly lifecycle at the Emerging Wonders window. Notice how different the chrysalises look from each other. You may even get to see a butterfly try out its new wings!

Committed to conservation

The Museum is committed to sourcing butterflies that are sustainably farmed using practices that support and preserve tropical rain forest environments and communities. Butterfly farming encourages the conservation of these natural habitats by providing an economic incentive and an alternative to clear cutting the land for development or other types of farming. Conserving pollinator habitats also preserves those spaces for the other plants and animals that live there.

Closeup of an orange and black longwing butterfly.

Butterfly House Virtual Tour

Can’t make it to the Museum? Take a 360-degree tour of Butterfly House from wherever you are!