Tropical butterfly house

Enter the tropical butterfly house!

Spanning an area of 2700sq ft, our large butterfly dome incorporates wide accessible pathways, a Koi pond and goldfish pond which together help to maintain the high humidity required for butterflies to fly.

The butterfly flight area is heated to 25 - 30 degrees year-round, allowing for a warm meander amid tropical plants and butterflies, whatever the weather outside.

Inside the butterfly dome!

Lush tropical plants are chosen for their structural beauty, their use as a food plant for the many caterpillars that feast on the leaves or for the all-important nectar-carrying flowers that the butterflies need to feed.

Being hot and humid, it is often a good idea to visit the flight area for lots of short visits throughout the day as there are no limits on the amount of times you can come back to look at the butterflies, indeed, often different species are flying at different times of the day.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies!

We expect to have about 400+ butterflies in this zone on any given day, covering approximately 30 butterfly species, with different types of butterfly being on show at different times of the year.

With conservation ever on our mind, we have planted an abundance of species-specific host plants in the flight area to encourage our butterflies to breed and lay eggs. It is very likely that you will often be able to see caterpillars munching away on the leaves, especially in our designated caterpillar display area at the far end of the tunnel.

The tropical butterfly house has several bench seating areas, a tropical, balmy temperature and beautiful butterflies flitting around you as you enjoy their show.

Extra features to look out for!

The many chrysalises that we bring in before hatching are also on show for visitors to see in Kirby House as part of our butterfly museum. Here you can see the many different shapes and beautiful colours of the butterfly species that we fly.

We have also built a large, netted cage at the far end of the flight area to house our largest stick insects that can reach a leg length of 56cms, unimaginably long and so well disguised as small branches.