My Top Seven Reasons for Enjoying the Butterflies are Blooming at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Last month I posted about how if you live in, or near, Grand Rapids, MI, you are most certainly familiar with Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and wrote about their amazing Butterflies are Blooming Exhibit. Yesterday we went to see it for ourselves, so today I want to share with you a few reasons why this is a not-to-miss experience for you and the children you love!

1. The Butterflies are Blooming exhibit is a most delightful opportunity, and certainly all you would hope and more than you can imagine!
2. I know, reason "#1" sounded a bit "corny", but it is absolutely true! If you have never experienced Meijer Gardens' (as we call them around here) Butterflies are Blooming exhibit before, you can not even begin to imagine what a treat it is as you walk among incredible tropical plants (the orchids are amazing!) and see hundreds - maybe even thousands - of butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colors flying around you! Definitely more than you will hope for and imagine!
3. You are free to wander along the paths and enjoy the sights, or sit on a bench and just watch as the butterflies fly around you!
4. No rush - take as much time as you like! (Within the operating hours of Meijer Gardens.)
5. Enjoy taking photos of your favorite butterflies, favorite flowers and plants and even of yourself and anyone who you bring with you!
6. It is a completely relaxing and absolutely enjoyable experience for young and old alike.
7. Your grandchildren will be amazed and delighted by the butterflies - the big brown one with the spots on the outside and blue wings on the inside is sure to be a huge favorite!

These are just my top seven reasons - you are certain to come up with some of your own!

Meijer Gardens describes their Butterflies are Blooming exhibit as; “This temporary, annual exhibition features thousands of tropical butterflies from Central and South America, Africa and Asia freely flying in the Tropical Conservatory. From March 1 through April 30, experience butterflies close up and watch them emerge from their chrysalises’ right before your eyes.” And, yes, it is even more incredible than it sounds!

If the Tropical Plants Room with the butterflies were all there was to the Butterflies are Blooming exhibit, it would be enough for sure, but, this is not all! No, there is more for you to explore, experience and discover! Just look . . .

• There’s the Caterpillar Room - “The Caterpillar Room is home to the lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly during our Butterflies Are Blooming spring exhibition from March through April. Guests can watch as tiny black and yellow caterpillars feed on milkweed, spin a cocoon and emerge as Monarch butterflies.”
• The Butterfly Bungalow – “The butterflies emerge from chrysalises, or cocoons, daily at the Butterfly Bungalow. To help ease their transition to the open conservatory, staff will collect and release adult butterflies throughout the day.”
• Butterfly feeding stations – “Feeding stations provide a great spot to closely watch and identify butterflies as they feast on a honey-water solution. Also look for trays of juicy, overripe fruit.”
• On a nice Spring Day, go outside and discover the . . . “The Butterfly Maze, solve it by navigating the right path and ring the bell to sound a victory.”

A Butterfly exhibit, Caterpillar Room and Butterfly Maze all are more than enough opportunities to explore, experience and discover, but they are not all! There is more . . 

• Tropical plants and birds! “Within the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory over 500 species from five continents are displayed in a lush, verdant setting including waterfalls, streams and bridges, as well as varieties of tropical birds.”
• Carnivorous Plants! “The Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House is the only publicly displayed plant collection in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to carnivorous plants.”
• The Children’s Garden with the treehouse, Great Lakes Garden, Kid Sense Garden, Log Cabin and so much more!
• The Japanese Garden and, So Much More!

Yes, you could easily describe the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as, “So much more!”

You have until April 30, 2017 . . . just 25 more days this year . . . to enjoy the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibit, so if you live anywhere near here, or will be planning a visit anywhere near here during this time, be sure to visit . . . you will be so glad you did!