Butterfly houses take wing: native and tropical butterfly habitats spring up throughout the West, from the Grand Junction to San Diego and beyond

Sunset, June, 1999 by Jim McCausland

First it was ants. Then big bugs. Now butterflies are all the rage. No, we're not talking movies about the endearing insects - we're talking the real McCoy The last couple of years have seen a boom in butterfly habitats where hundreds of native or exotic butterfly species put on a great show for the paying public.

At some butterfly houses, such as the one that recently opened at Turtle Bay Museums and Arboretum on the River, in Redding, California, you'll see native butterflies. However, most feature tropical species - metallic blue morphos, for example, or giant owl butterflies as big as your hand. Often their patterns - black tracery on white, for instance - are as striking as their colors.

In general, indoor exhibits house tropical species, and outdoor gardens attract temperate-climate natives, the species varying by location. Most facilities provide handouts to help you create your own garden at home to attract native species.

Most butterfly houses are part of a larger facility - such as a zoo, museum, or park - that charges a general admission fee. A handful of independent butterfly habitats charge their own admission, usually $8 or less.

Arizona

TUCSON: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Part of the pollination garden complex, this outdoor garden hosts 10 to 20 kinds of free-flying native butterflies, moths, and bees indigenous to the Sonoran Desert. For the best viewing, go very early or late in the day. 2021 N. Kinney Rd., 7:30-6 daily. $8.95, $1.75 ages 6-12; (520) 883-1380.

British Columbia

VICTORIA: Crystal Garden. A Victorian-looking conservatory. houses this tropical garden, whose inhabitants include lemurs, monkeys, reptiles, birds, poison tree frogs, and fish as well as butterflies. 713 Douglas St., 8:30-8 daily. $7.50 Canadian, $6.50 ages 65 and over, $4 ages 5-16. (250) 381-1277.

California

ESCONDIDO: San Diego Wild Animal Park. Head for the Hidden Jungle exhibit, where plants and butterflies share space with exotic birds and insects such as leaf-cutter ants and giant walkingsticks. Staff is often on hand to answer questions. 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., 9-4 daily. $19.95, $17.95 ages 60 and over, $12.95 ages 3-11; (760) 747-8702.

REDDING: Turtle Bay Museums and Arboretum on the River. Walk through a 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide shaded butterfly house cooled with loggers that can bring 100 [degrees] outside temperatures into the 70s: you'll find about 1,000 North American native butterflies from 25 species flitting among the flowering plants. The seasonal butterfly house will be on display until September 19. 836 Auditorium Dr. (at Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp), 9-7 daily. $4, $2 ages 4-17 (includes art, history, and natural science museums); (530) 243-8850.

Colorado

GRAND JUNCTION: Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. Hundreds of butterflies, including 30 native species, emerge in a puparium, then fly in a 1,500-square-foot butterfly house. 655 Struthers Ave., 10-5 Wed. Sun. $3, $2 students and ages 62 and over, $1.50 ages 5-12; (970) 245-3288.

WESTMINSTER: Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center. The only nonprofit, stand-alone insect zoo in the United States has a tropical indoor garden for exotic butterflies and an outdoor garden for natives. If watching the paper kite butterflies strikes you as too tame, try, handling a rose-haired tarantula or a hissing cockroach in the petting zoo. 6252 W. 104th Ave., 9-5 daily. $6.75, $4.75 ages 62 and over, $3.75 ages 4-12; (303) 469-5441.