See thousands of tropical butterflies at the Vancouver Aquarium this summer

May 15 2019, 1:22 am

Back by popular demand and for a limited time only, thousands of tropical butterflies have returned to the Graham Amazon Gallery at the Vancouver Aquarium.

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And starting this month, you have the chance to step out of BC’s temperate rainforest and into the Amazon’s tropical rainforest by checking out the gallery for yourself.

Visitors will have the opportunity to discover a wide variety of butterflies, including blue morphos, giant owls, and heliconians, as they stroll along the boardwalk. Keen eyes will spy them feeding on nectar, fruit and flowers, camouflaging on tree trunks, courting a mate, and hitchhiking on lucky visitors.

The exhibit also provides a unique chance for people to learn all about the life cycle of these intriguing invertebrates, with the opportunity to observe them transition from pupae to butterfly in special viewing chambers.

“We’re really excited to re-introduce butterflies to the Graham Amazon Gallery since they were last here in 2014,” said Andrea Cotter, assistant curator of Amazon at the Vancouver Aquarium. “Watching them as they flutter from one plant to the next is nothing short of amazing.”

And even more importantly, she said, the exhibit is chance not only for visitors to connect with the butterflies in a uniquely immersive way, but also “connect with the crucial role butterflies play in ecosystems.”

According to the Vancouver Aquarium, over 4,000 species of butterflies have been identified in the Amazon, with “hundreds more waiting to be discovered and described by scientists.”

In the meantime, experience butterflies in the Vancouver Aquarium’s Graham Amazon Gallery for yourself, from May to September 2019.

Access to the gallery is included in the price of admission. Tickets are available online, and proceeds support Ocean Wise’s ongoing ocean research, education, and conservation initiatives.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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