Field trip: Butterfly Rainforest
A few spots have opened up for this members-only field trip to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Rainforest on Saturday, July 9th. Get your tickets now!
Please note: Only members may purchase tickets for this exclusive field trip.
Join Dr. Jaret Daniels, curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, home to the 6,400-square-foot living Butterfly Rainforest and adjacent 4,600-square-foot exhibit gallery featuring information about butterflies and rainforests worldwide, as well as more than 31,000 square feet of research laboratories and collection space.
The Butterfly Rainforest is a can’t-miss living exhibit. Tour of this unique and ever-changing living ecosystem, which features hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds and showcases turtles, fish, bromeliads, orchids and hundreds of other vibrant flowering plants. View a variety of tropical butterflies up close as they feed on trays of fresh cut fruit. The lush landscape is planted in tropical trees and colorful flowering plants amid waterfalls and a walking path.
Be sure to bring your camera — and consider wearing a shirt with a tropical print as butterflies are attracted to bright-colored flowers! After the tour, we’ll head upstairs for a brief presentation by Dr. Daniels on butterfly conservation efforts.
Bring a lunch or visit the Camellia Court Cafe (next door to the Museum), and then take the afternoon to explore the Florida Museum of Natural History’s many permanent and temporary exhibits including:
- Northwest Florida: Waterways & Wildlife
- Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land
- South Florida People and Environments
- Our Energy Future
- Fantastic Fossils: Science Up Close (temporary exhibit; additional fee required)
- and more!
Only members may purchase tickets for this exclusive field trip. Non-members may only attend as guests of members. Limit two tickets per individual membership; four tickets per household membership. The cost is $15 per ticket. Call 407-622-1606 or send an email to Rose at RKinane@FlaWildflowers.org find out if your membership is current or needs to be renewed. To become a member, visit https://www.flawildflowers.org/membership/.
View the museum’s Covid guidelines here.
Dr. Jaret Daniels is a University of Florida professor of entomology and curator of Lepidoptera at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on insect ecology, population biology and conservation, with particular emphasis on butterflies and other native pollinators.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is located at 3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611 on the University of Florida campus. Click for directions.
Start time: 10 a.m.
Trip length: 2 hours
Fee: $15 per person
Register for the Butterfly Rainforest field trip here.
Contact Rose Kinane at RKinane@FlaWildflowers.org to find out if your membership is current or needs to be renewed. To join as a member, visit FlaWildflowers.org/support.