Butterflies in Flight at the Canadian Museum of Nature

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Back by popular demand! Live butterflies return to the Canadian Museum of Nature until January 4th 2026. 

Tropical butterflies are once again fluttering around the Canadian Museum of Nature’s solarium. Butterflies in Flight, a delightful exhibition of live, winged beauties, opened on December 6 and continues for a year until January 4, 2026.

Dozens of butterfly species flutter around the solarium at any given time. New interpretive panels in the adjacent Bugs Alive exhibition present information about pollinators and their important role. Pollinators boost the yield of crops such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils and fibres. Cross-pollination promotes the genetic diversity of wild plants.

In conjunction with Butterflies in Flight, the museum is presenting the Canadian premiere of the movie, Butterfly Journey.

Interesting facts!

  • Butterflies and moths are classified in the insect order Lepidopterawhich means “scaled wings” in Latin.
  • There are over 18,000 known species of butterflies worldwide. They live in diverse habitats—from tropical forests to tundra—and on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Over 300 species of butterflies have been described in Canada, including in the Arctic.
  • Moth species outnumber butterfly species 10 to 1!
  • Ancestors of moths first appeared about 140 million years ago. Their butterfly cousins evolved later—the oldest butterfly fossil is about 55 million years old.
  • Butterflies are excellent pollinators. They flit from one flower to another, searching for nectar or places to lay their eggs.
  • Metamorphosis: After roughly four days in an egg, a caterpillar emerges and lives for around two weeks. This is followed by 10 days or so in a pupa or chrysalis. The adult butterfly will live anywhere between two and six weeks.
  • Adult butterflies retain responses developed at the caterpillar stage. If a caterpillar reacts to a certain smell, for example, the adult butterfly will share that response.
  • Costa Rica, which occupies only 0.03% of the Earth’s surface, is home to 10% of the world’s butterfly species!

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