My guess is that over the last week, you've heard more than one person say, "I'm getting sick of winter."
Lucky for us, Grand Rapids has Frederik Meijer Gardens providing a hefty selection of conservatories with warm temps and humidity levels for just about anyone's comfort level.
Upping the ante on why a trip to The Gardens might be in order is the return of the annual Butterflies Are Blooming exhibit. On a daily basis, these naturally bedazzled creatures emerge from the darkness and take flight in the warmth of the main conservatory, often bathed in bright sunlight.
"Today the temperature was 80 degrees with a humidity rate of 70 percent," says Meijer Garden's Public Relations Manager Andrea Wolschleger. "The butterflies are already filling the conservatory with their color and zigzagging patterns."
Flight is a big theme this year as the Gardens depart from their typical focus on color and begin to explore what the various flight patterns of the many species truly means, offering yet again another educational facet to this much-loved exhibit.
In addition to the butterfly flight pattern display, they will also be moving the Monarch caterpillars into the seasonal display greenhouse, offering up more room to observe these worms fattening up before becoming regal Monarchs. The Gardens also offers two other unique programs.
"Over the first two Saturday mornings, we will be debuting a new collaborative work, Butterfly Ballet, written by our Outdoor Education Manager Vickie Wilkinson with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company's Choreographer Attila Mosolygo," says Wolschleger. "It will be performed by members of the Grand Rapids Ballet Junior Company and narrated by Errol Shewman."
Also returning is Tuesday Night Lights, where guests can use a flashlight in the evening light to discover butterflies as they sleep.
For those looking to see butterflies in action, Wolschleger recommends coming at 9 a.m. when they are most active. But beware, this exhibit is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors (many of them school field trips) over the next two months, so if you are averse to crowds, it is recommended getting there first thing or waiting until school is out to carve out some tranquility amidst a sea of 800 pupae arriving and emerging weekly until April 30.
Admission: Adults, $12. Students/Seniors, $9.
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