When looking for something to do in Rochester, New York, make sure to visit the “Dancing Wing Butterfly Garden” in the “National Museum of Play” located at One Manhattan Square Drive. Viewing the garden requires a fee in addition to the museum fee for the exhilarating 20-minute experience.
Garden Facts
The indoor garden hosts 50 to 75 species of native and tropical butterflies at any time, with the average butterfly living in the garden for about ten days. Approximately 800 to 1,000 butterflies live in the 1800 square foot area at any given time. The temperatures range from the mid seventies at night to 80 during the day. Signs warn visitors to talk and walk softly.
Where they get butterflies
They come from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. The museum receives 500 to 800 pupae from butterfly farms around the world each week. A glass case called an emergence chamber lets you watch as they emerge from their chrysalises.
Workers inspect the chrysalises and hang them on rods. When the butterflies emerge, their wings are wet, folded, and need to dry before they can fly. When several are ready to fly, the caretakers gather them into special cages and release them in the garden.
Hummingbirds added
The newest creatures in the butterfly garden are six hummingbirds living in the tropical paradise that contains about 150 species of plants. Four of them are brightly colored honeycreepers. Signs warn visitors to talk and walk softly.
Staying Alive
Staff entomologist Tad Yankowshi collected the birds in Tucson, Arizona. He got advice from the Sonora Desert Museum on how to keep them alive for the trip to Rochester.
The birds need to be transported in individual containers. They need a constant source of food and will die without it. They also do not eat in the dark. As a result, he built special compartments with one bird in each. He added a food source, installed LED lights in each cage, and lined the cage with material to prevent wing damage.
Only five butterfly gardens in the US have hummingbirds living in them.
Other critters
The Dancing Wing Butterfly Garden also has a waterfall and a turtle pond with goldfish, a toucan named Socrates and some Chinese Button Quail. Two kinds of finches round out the menagerie. The Button Quail eat many bugs so help control the insect population in an environmentally friendly way.
Loofas, soaked in a honey and Gatoraid mixture, and scattered about the garden provide a food source as do dishes of sliced fruit.
Socrates, a toucan, and several Chinese Button Quail, hummingbirds, turtles, goldfish, and a couple of tortoises also live in the tropical environment lush with greenery.
Hours and tickets
Admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden is in addition to general museum admission fees, tickets are non-refundable: Non members pay $4 to get in, members $2, and children under two are free.
Due to the popularity of the exhibit, they sell timed tickets only. Call 585-263-2700 to purchase your tickets in advance and find what times each viewing period starts. Hours are 11a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Weekend hours are11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 12:20 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Bring your camera as picture taking is encouraged. Prepare for “wow” experience.
Sources:
museumofplay.org
youtube.com
rocwiki.org
thestrong.org
blogs.democratandchronicle.com
