Desert Botanical Garden Will Open New Butterfly Exhibit This March

Butterflies are back and better than ever at the Desert Botanical Garden with its new 3,200 square foot Butterfly Exhibit located on the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Loop Trail.

The new Exhibit will feature hundreds of live fluttering butterflies among the desert landscapes and stunning views of the Papago Butte, as well as a caterpillar nursery and emergence chamber. It promises to be delightful, magical and educational for children, adults and tourists.

The Butterfly Pavilion will provide visitors and opportunity for up close interaction with butterflies while learning about their role as pollinators, characteristics of their lifecycles, and our conservation efforts to protect them.

"The Garden's first butterfly pavilion opened in 2002. It was intended as a 5-year pilot project to see if our visitors would enjoy butterflies. After just a few weeks we knew the answer to that question was a resounding "yes," and the first butterfly pavilion went on to operate for more than 12 years," says Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director. He continues, "When it was time to "retire" that exhibit, we knew that we wanted to replace it with a permanent facility that was even more special - one that incorporated all phases of a butterfly's life cycle and one that was architecturally consistent with the rest of the Garden's unique structures."

Construction of the new exhibit is made possible by generous donors who have made gifts to The Saguaro Initiative campaign. Leading the way in support of the new Butterfly Exhibit is the APS Foundation whose financial donation allows for the construction of the APS Foundation Butterfly Landing. Located just outside the Butterfly Pavilion adjacent to a Monarch butterfly garden display, the APS Foundation Butterfly Landing will provide a dedicated space for school groups, children and families to gather and participate in education programs. The Butterfly Exhibit is sponsored by APS and The Fred Maytag Family Foundation.

"The APS Foundation is committed to ensuring that Arizona students have access to high-quality, innovative science education and the APS Foundation Butterfly Landing will be an area where thousands of children will learn firsthand about butterflies and their positive impact on our beautiful desert," said APS Foundation Executive Director Tina Marie Tentori.

Opening Weekend Festivities include:

You're invited! Join the Desert Botanical Garden on this very special weekend packed with butterfly and plant fun as we celebrate the grand opening of the new Butterfly Exhibit and Horticulture Center.

• Experience the Spring Butterfly exhibit sponsored by APS

• Expert-lead tours

• Hands-on activities

• Performances by Hopi Butterfly Maiden Dancers and Desert Stages

• Face painting

• Mini classes hosted by the Desert Landscape School

• Cactomania Central

It all takes place at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008, on Saturday & Sunday, March 4 & 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Garden Admission Rates: Adults $24.95; Children $12.95 (3-17); Garden members and children 3 years and younger are admitted free. For more information, call 480.941.1225 or visit www.dbg.org.

A "Phoenix Point of Pride", the Desert Botanical Garden is one of only a few botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums. It is a privately funded, non-profit organization and depends on revenues from admissions and gift shop sales, as well as contributions from individuals and businesses to fund its programs of environmental education, plant conservation and research.

Photo Credit: Adam Rodriguez

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