Gallery: Butterflies in Flight at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Published Jan 04, 2025  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  1 minute read

Eight-year-old Edie Morrissette was all smiles as a beautiful butterfly enjoyed a moment on her toque. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Outside, Ottawa has started what’s expected to be at least a week of super-chilly weather.

But inside the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Butterflies in Flight show, which wrapped up on Sunday, visitors wandered through a steamy solarium atmosphere surrounded by innumerable brilliantly colourful butterflies in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The show’s stars were brought in from sustainable farming operations in Costa Rica and the Philippines in chrysalis packages, then moved to a tiny nursery where visitors could get close enough to watch them hatch.

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“They just fly out when they’re ready. They’re only going to live between, you know, one and five weeks,” museum science interpreter Anne Cheng said. The average lifespan is about two weeks.

A Blue Morpho butterfly sits on a leaf. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Cheng said the only caution to visitors was to not touch the butterflies’ wings.

“It’s very important that we don’t touch their wings (because) they have powder on them, especially the inner side of the wings.

“Once that powder is gone, they can’t fly, so it’s very sad.

“But, if they land on you, it’s kind of like they’re saying hello and they can’t hurt you. They’ll just say hi.”

Visitors were asked not to chase or grab the butterflies.

Eight-year-old Edie Morrissette was all smiles as a beautiful butterfly enjoyed a moment on her toque. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The constant hatching make it impossible to keep track of the insects, Cheng said.

“If you look up, there’s like a net on the ceiling, so some of them are on the net, some of them are under the leaves.”

The museum previously put on the Butterflies in Flight show in both 2017 and 2019.

The museum will be closed from Monday, Jan. 6, to Thursday, Jan. 16, for annual maintenance.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY FRASER:

Carol Ann Reid was having a fantastic time capturing photographs of all the beautiful butterflies and moths in the exhibit Saturday morning. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Butterflies land on little dishes with fruit. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

A large Atlas Moth sits and rests on a stone wall. Moths, unlike butterflies, are nocturnal and rest during the day. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The museum welcomes dozens of new pupae from Costa Rica and the Philippines every week. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The museum welcomes dozens of new pupae from Costa Rica and the Philippines every week. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Sharon Smith with her grand daughter four-year-old Lily Sarda were having fun watching all the butterflies Saturday morning. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

A large Atlas Moth sits and rests on a stone wall. Moths, unlike butterflies, are nocturnal and rest during the day. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

A Monarch lands on a visitors hands. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Three visitors enjoyed a butterfly landing on their hands. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Six-year-old Florence Proulx stood patiently waiting for a butterfly to land on her. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

A Forest Giant Owl butterfly sits on a staff members fingers. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and a wonderful spot to visit and warm up on a chilly day. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Six-year-old Florence Proulx stood patiently as a museum staff member tried to relocate a butterfly to her hand. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

An Atlas Moth rest in a plant. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

A Tiger Longwing butterfly sits on a leaf. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Anne Cheng, a science interpreter with the museum was talking with visitors explaining details about the butterflies. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Sharon Smith with her grand daughter four-year-old Lily Sarda were having fun watching all the butterflies Saturday morning. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Sharon Smith with her grand daughter four-year-old Lily Sarda were having fun watching all the butterflies Saturday morning. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The butterflies have a spectacular home in the museums solarium that is filled with tropical plants, a waterfall, and many spots to rest and snack. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Butterflies are drawn to bright colours and often land on visitors clothing. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

For ticket information and hours contact the Canadian Museum of Nature at https://nature.ca/en/visit-us/plan-your-visit/admission-fees/

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