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January 28, 2019

Educational Family Visit to the Denver Butterfly Pavilion

by Katie Wallace

If you see a butterfly out in nature don’t touch it! Trying to handle a butterfly can take days off its already short life. This is just one of the facts we learned at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion. We saw a variety of butterflies up close and we learned how to protect natural butterfly habitats. My daughter even had the chance to hold a tarantula!

The Butterfly Pavilion in Denver, Colorado is a great family destination to visit year round. This butterfly habitat features a Survival exhibit and a small ocean preservation area. The main exhibit, Wings of the Tropics, is a 7,200 square-foot tropical rainforest that’s home to countless butterflies and 200+ plant species from around the world. The Butterfly Pavilion is a great place to take kids to see some really cool insect species up close.

Educational Family Visit to the Denver Butterfly Pavilion

Meet Rosie the Tarantula

The first thing we saw at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion was the Survival exhibit. We had the chance to examine scorpions behind the glass, see some beetles, and my daughter held Rosie the tarantula. The Butterfly Pavilion exhibits allow kids to see nature up close, ask questions and learn through memorable experiences. My daughter said the tarantula ticked her hand.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion - holding Rosie the tarantula

Explore the Wings of the Tropics

The Wings of the Tropics rainforest habitat is such a cool place to walk around. My kids had fun following the pathways and discovering butterflies hidden among the plants and flowers. We also learned a thing or two about some of the butterfly species. The kids learned the basics; a butterfly starts off as a caterpillar and transforms into a butterfly when it emerges from its chrysalis.

The Butterfly Pavilion releases newly emerged butterflies into the rainforest sanctuary each day. We had the chance to see the daily butterfly release of 10 to 12 brand new butterflies.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion kids nature museum

The walking paths at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion are a kid-friendly place to explore and play a game of I-Spy. Kids will enjoy seeing butterflies sipping on orange slices and watching large and small butterflies flutter through the tropical foliage. The Butterfly Pavilion would be a great family destination to enjoy on a rainy day.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion - Wings of the Tropics exhibit

Learn Butterfly Trivia

We also learned a little about identifying butterflies. First, the most common butterfly type is the brush-footed butterfly, which includes more than 6,000 species.

Additionally, brush-footed butterflies are named for their smaller forelegs which are frequently hairy and resemble brushes. These butterflies have four functional walking legs and they drink nectar using a long built-in straw.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion - brush footed butterfly

Finally, some butterflies’ coloration mimics the conspicuous warning colors of other poisonous species as a defense tactic against predators.

The Denver Butterfly Pavilion is a great place to see butterflies up close

We were surprised to see butterflies that were not in great condition with tattered wings. We learned the average life span of a butterfly is relatively short. For example, many butterflies live for about one month and the smallest butterflies you may see in your yard often only live for one week. Monarchs are one of the few butterfly species that have an average life span of nine months.

At the Denver Butterfly Pavilion, we were advised not to touch the butterflies or encourage them to land on our hands. The guide said that touching a butterfly effectively shortens its lifespan by as much as 1 day per encounter with a human. Besides, a butterfly’s primary purpose is to emerge from its chrysalis, mate and lay eggs to create the next generation. Consequently, humans are one of their biggest threats.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion educational family visit

Discover Denver Butterfly Pavilion Surprises

The Denver Butterfly Pavilion offers many things to discover in addition to butterflies. We spotted a family of turtles lounging on some rocks. You can also enjoy the variety of plants and colorful flowers that grow in generous varieties in the warm temperatures.

Denver Butterfly Pavilion - family of turtles

We really enjoyed our visit to the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and we would go back again. This butterfly habitat receives butterflies from tropical “farms”, so their variety of butterfly species changes throughout the year. You never know which butterflies you’ll see during your next visit!

Fun family exhibits at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion

 

Katie Wallace
Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 3 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, taking photos and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!

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Hello

Hi I'm Katie! Create. Play. Travel. is my family lifestyle blog based in the Pacific Northwest. Our family homeschools, goes on adventures, and even travels internationally with our three kids. I hope you enjoy our creative ideas.

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📍Grassington UK 🎬 We stopped by and PBS just 📍Grassington UK 🎬 We stopped by and PBS just happened to be filming scenes for All Creatures Great and Small season 4. It was fun to see behind the scenes! #createplaytravel #allcreaturesgreatandsmall #homeschoolfamily #worldschooling #adventureswithkids
When we don’t know where we are going, we can AL When we don’t know where we are going, we can ALWAYS trust God. 😀🌄 #createplaytravelTrust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬#travelwithkids #worldschooling #familyadventures #takethekids
Stopping by a fruit stand 🍓 in England and feed Stopping by a fruit stand 🍓 in England and feeding a baby lamb. ☺️ #createplaytravel➡️ See more of our adventures on YouTube 🎬#homeschoolingfamily #worldschooling #adventureswithkids #takethekids
Take the kids! 🍁 There’s so many things to ap Take the kids! 🍁 There’s so many things to appreciate about exploring with kids. Yes, we have to travel slower. But once we started, I want to show them everything. Next trip, we’re bringing a baby. 😉😊 #createplaytravelBackstory: we quit our tech careers, moved to a small town and learned how to be entrepreneurs. Now we Airbnb our home and began traveling internationally with our 3 kids. I’m not really sure where this path we’re on leads, but God knows. 🙂
Beautiful Sgwd yr Eira waterfall in Wales along th Beautiful Sgwd yr Eira waterfall in Wales along the Four Waterfalls Walk. 🍁😃 Who else would like to explore this waterfall after school? 😉 #createplaytravel #worldschooling
We brought some fun things back from Europe! Our a We brought some fun things back from Europe! Our adventures will continue into 2024 and beyond 😉🍁 #createplaytravel #adventurefamily #uktrip #exploringwithkids
Yay! Feels like we finally know what we’re doing Yay! Feels like we finally know what we’re doing. 😄 Our family’s homeschool style is to combine workbooks with family adventures. I’m not a teacher at heart, but I’ve learned to enjoy the rhythms of our school routine. 📚 I like the structure of workbooks, completing lessons, and encouraging my kids.😉 I DO NOT like collecting school supplies.🍁 This fall we’ll enjoy simple school days, followed by more family adventures!⁉️ What gets you excited about back to school? #createplaytravel #homeschoolfamilylife⁠⁠#thisishomeschool #adventurefamily #exploringwithkids #learningisfunwithus #homeschoolkids
Super cute pumpkin candy machine! 😍 I snagged t Super cute pumpkin candy machine! 😍 I snagged this for $5 from Target in the dollar section. 🎃 Let the fall decorating begin! #createplaytravel #hellofall🍂 #targetdollarspotfinds #creativefamily
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