Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

The Art of Butterflies

Silence, Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, and nik harron, in partnership with Guelph Destination Animation Project, present “The Art of Butterflies,” on Saturday, August 25, 11 AM – 5 PM. The project

The Famous Blue Morpho

The Famous Blue Morpho There's nothing quite as mystical as strolling through a tropical garden and having an iridescent purple-blue butterfly gracefully sail past you. Blue Morpho butterflies have been

The Conservatory: A Photographer’s Dream

"Can I take pictures inside the Conservatory?" YES - absolutely yes! Some of the best photos we’ve ever seen have been taken by our guests inside the Conservatory. Thanks to

The Hort Report – May 2018

To Till or Not to Till – Disturbing the World Wide Web As gardeners prepare the plot of land destined to support vegetables over the next few months or so,

The Hort Report – April 2018

5 Tips for Seed Starting As we wait for nature’s palette to reveal itself from under the frozen ground, we can create our own palette by starting seeds indoors.  The

Styled Wedding Shoot: Geometric Shapes and Natural Tones

If you’ve visited the Conservatory lately you might notice that the dining room looks a little bit different these days. We removed counters and partitions in favour of a more

Tales of a BugFeast Intern: I Ate a Bug and I Liked It

Author: Marcel Cormier   We’ve all accidentally eaten bugs before – that time casually riding your bike on a mid-summer’s day and you rode right through a swarm of gnats,

Hort Report – February 2018

Shinrin-Yoku: the therapeutic practice of ‘forest bathing’ Shinrin-Yoku, the practice of ‘forest bathing’, has roots in many cultures, but it was first identified and recognized as a form of therapeutic

Favourite Storytime Books

Holiday Activities for Kids

Insects GO FOR GOLD! With the Olympics just around the corner, the top athletes of the world are working hard to be the fastest, strongest and go for the gold!

Meet Cheecho the Conure

Meet Cheecho the Conure! Ever since Cheecho, a young tropical parrot, came to live with us almost 10 years ago, he has become a popular character in the Conservatory. Cheech

Creepy or Cute?

  "Eeww, that bug's creepy!" What does it mean to be creepy? The meaning of the word refers to that skin-crawling sensation when something strange happens or weirds us out.

The Hort Report – October 2017

Autumn on Fire! This time of year we always wish that we had planted more of those striking foliage plants with fall foliage colour. Autumn drives become a spectacular treat

Going “Bear” Hunting?

  How to Care for a Bear Raising any caterpillar to watch the life cycle is a rewarding, educational experience. Woolly Bears are cute & fuzzy caterpillars that are active

A Conservatory Love Story

Spoiler - She said YES! For Emily, it was just another Friday afternoon and just a normal visit to the Butterfly Conservatory. She and Dylan arrived with their sweet little

On Now: Butterflies of India & South Asia

Butterflies of India & South Asia - A Special Exhibition We are very excited to feature a special exhibition of freely-flying Butterflies from India & South Asia. India is home to approximately

Monarch Population Status Update

It has been a banner summer for the Monarch butterfly!   We've been getting a lot of feedback from butterfly enthusiasts across southern Ontario who are all reporting seeing more

The Hort Report – August Edition

Photo Credit: Mike White The Ecosystem of a Garden By now your garden should be alive with pollinators – both winged and terrestrial critters. You’ve probably noticed many plant pests

Fun in the Arizona Desert!

Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference 2017 - Tuscon Arizona We might be biased, but we think entomologists or "bug geeks" are some of the friendliest and most fun people

The Hort Report – July Edition

Photo Credit: Mike White Planting Perennial Pollinator Gardens We were going to use the title “Butterfly Gardens” but that wouldn’t be accurate. Once you plant a garden loaded with golden

Searching for Ontario’s only Endangered Butterfly

The Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis) Mottled Duskywing Photo Credit: Jessica Linton Supporting butterfly conservation research, especially in our region, is very important to us here at the Conservatory. One such

Monarch Mania!

The Monarchs are Back! The children & grandchildren of the overwintering Monarchs in Mexico have traveled thousands of kilometres back up through the United States and into Canada and are

Cecropia Moths

It's that time of year again - the Cecropia moths are emerging from their cocoons!   Cecropias overwinter as pupae, snuggled in their cocoons until the warmer weather signals to

The Hort Report: June Edition

What a wonderful time of year - we get to enjoy the fruits of our labours while the gardens are still bug-free! Now Showing: Blankets of Moss Phlox, Rock Cress

Brides- and Grooms-to-Be: Meet Rachel!

If you’ve booked a wedding here at the Conservatory this year, chances are you already know that our Wedding Coordinator, Cayla, has welcomed a new bundle of joy into her

OVO: An Immersive Tour | Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil: OVO Ticket Giveaway Cirque du Soleil OVO is coming to The First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, and we’re giving away free tickets! How to Enter: Visit Cambridge

National Volunteer Week!

We love our volunteers! Each year during National Volunteer Week, we like to shine the light on our wonderful volunteer team and we invite you to join us in giving

Butterflies in Winter

Butterflies are sun-lovers, so much so that they can be considered little solar-powered beings who are dependent on the warmth to stay active and fly around. So how on earth

Messengers from the Mangrove Forest

Imagine yourself in a lush, coastal mangrove swamp in Malaysia. There are stilted trees, thorny vines, and lush foliage so thick you can hardly see ten steps in front of

The Secret Life of Lichens

Ever since the new Lichens exhibit arrived (on display now from November – April 2017), we’ve all been learning more & more about the fascinating world of lichens. At first

Holiday Gift Guide

With stylish home decor, gardening supplies, sweet treats and gifts for kids, The Paradise Gift Store has a unique gift for everyone on your list this holiday season. 1) Sunset

Monarch Population Update

Photo from Journey North Monarch Blog - Homero Gomez, Nov 2016.   Monarchs have arrived in Mexico! Almost like clockwork, they were reported as arriving in sanctuary areas on Nov

Help – it’s almost winter & I found a caterpillar!

Every fall we receive calls from concerned individuals who have found a caterpillar late in the season, and are wondering what will become of it with the advent of the

Creepy Crawly Arachnids

Halloween is the celebration of the creepy, the fanfare of the phantasma! Out come the decorations, the ghosts & the skeletons, the spider webs, the gravestones. This spooky season brings

Bug of the Week: Praying Mantis

It could possibly be one of Ontario’s most impressive looking bugs. Sought after by many young naturalists, and never failing to impress the older ones as well, is the famous

Insects are Animals Too!

When most people think about animals, the first creatures that come to mind are often elephants, zebras, dolphins, or puppies. But did you know that insects such as butterflies, stick

Weddings at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory – Venue FAQ’s

We caught up with Cayla VanHouwelingen, our Wedding and Events Coordinator to ask her some questions about hosting a wedding at our Conservatory, and what factors couples should take into

How to Tag a Migratory Monarch

Today the story of the Monarch's epic fall migration to Mexico is commonly told and taught in classrooms across North America. One can almost take it for granted that this

The bees are swarming!

Our honeybees in the Observation Hive have had a good season: they’ve experienced such a population boom (upwards of 10,000 bees!), they need more space - so they’re swarming! It

Morning Yoga in the Conservatory

Few of our guests have had the chance to experience the Conservatory in the early hours of the morning. The sense of stillness in the air is peaceful, the birds

The Amazing Cicada Emergence

Some people hit the road to go see their favourite band perform in concert; some people hit the road to get away for a few days with friends or family.

Landscapes of Biodiversity – Grand Opening Event

We are tremendously honoured to have spent an evening with Dr. Roberta Bondar this past Tuesday to celebrate the opening of our new exhibit, Landscapes of Biodiversity, Presented by The Roberta Bondar

Observing Butterfly Courtship Behaviour

People love to look at butterflies, but have you ever watched them for more than a few minutes? Their colours & patterns can be dazzling to watch, and so can

What kind of community do you live in?

We all belong to communities, composed of businesses, architecture, people, plants and animals. A community in Toronto will be different than a community in Stratford. Each has features that are