What is pollination?
Stories about the decline and disappearance of pollinators are abundant in the news worldwide and there's no doubt that these stories are spurring action in our communities. But what exactly is pollination, who are the pollinators, and why are they important? What is pollination? Pollination is the act of pollen being moved from the anther of a flower to the ...
Decline of the American Bumble Bee
Perhaps you’ve seen some articles on social media talking about a worrisome phenomenon that scientists are calling the “Insect Apocalypse”. Researchers are starting to put concrete numbers to the startling decline of major insect populations around the world, and the numbers are scary. One of the insect groups on decline is one that’s probably the most familiar and recognizable to ...
Goin’ on a bug hunt, gonna catch a big one!
Did you know there are thousands of the world’s tiniest but most amazing animals living in your own backyard? Many of us think of mammals when we hear the word “animals” but insects and arachnids are animals too! We are lucky that the backyard of the Conservatory is several acres of wildflower meadow and this year we have decided to ...
Plan Your Visit
Planning a visit to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory in the near future? Like many of our visitors, it is likely that you have a few questions before deciding to come and see us. Where will I park? Is there somewhere close by to eat? How long can we expect to spend in the facility? Look no further than this post ...
The Monarchs are Back!
Every fall our Ontario population of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) heads south to overwinter in the mountains of Mexico. In late May, after what feels like an eternity, we finally start seeing Monarchs once again filling our skies with those vibrant wings of orange, making their way to our patches of milkweed to lay their eggs. Milkweed is the host ...
Photo Shoots in the Conservatory
With tropical canopies, cascading waterfalls, and free-flying butterflies, the Conservatory is a tropical paradise all year round. It’s no surprise that we have guests asking all the time if they can have photos taken here. The answer is YES! The Conservatory is a popular venue for all types of photography shoots - maternity photos, family photos, engagement photos. We’ve had ...
Where do our butterflies come from?
“Where do all your butterflies come from?” As guests wander around the Conservatory, we often get asked - how do we get thousands of tropical butterflies to a Conservatory in Southwestern Ontario? It helps to understand the life cycle of the butterfly in order to understand just how we can ship butterflies from halfway across the world. Of course there ...
Butterflies of Spring
Nothing says spring like butterflies! Thinking of butterflies conjures images of warm weather, sunny days and flowers in bloom. That's why Easter weekend is a pretty popular time to come visit the Conservatory: what better place to celebrate the advent of spring than where it's spring year-round and there's 100's of butterflies! What do butterflies eat if there are no ...
BugFeast goes Southwest for March Break 2019
March Break means BUGFEAST®! If you’ve never heard of it, BugFEAST® (not FEST) is exactly what the name suggests. With help from our sponsors over at EntomoFarms, we’re feasting on bugs during March Break. The 2019 BugFeast® went Southwest (bugs are the new brisket!) and we served up some Tex-Mex inspired recipes: BBQ Roasted Crickets Dulce de Leche Fudge with ...
Overwintering Monarch Numbers
Last week's release of the numbers of overwintering Monarchs in Mexico brought hope to Monarch butterfly enthusiasts. Certainly any numbers that are higher than the previous year, which was one of the lowest on record, seems a step in the right direction. Many of us did notice a good amount of Monarchs throughout last spring and summer, but some people ...