Breathtaking Butterfly Garden Awaits Visitors at Budapest Zoo

The Butterfly Garden of the Budapest Zoo is open to the public again, where hundreds of species of eighteen tropical butterflies can be seen, reports Turizmus.com.

The butterfly species on display are all native to tropical habitats in Central and South America. The insects arrive as pupae from a butterfly breeding farm in Costa Rica.

The pupae are placed in a glass-walled cabinet in the center of the Butterfly Garden,  and with a bit of luck, the public will be able to watch the metamorphosis itself.

In addition, butterflies can be observed while flying, resting, or feeding. Their diet consists of fruit juice, bananas, or oranges, and they are also fed artificial nectar.

According to the information sheet, the tropical butterflies can be seen in an area of 240 square meters with 1,200 cubic meters of air space. The garden is designed to allow the public to walk directly among the butterflies. In addition to the butterflies, visitors can also admire the plants in the Butterfly Garden, including a variety from the Bromeliaceae, Orchidaceae, Verbenaceae, and Rubiaceae families.

The Butterfly Garden has been a seasonal attraction at the Zoo since 2000. It was moved to its current location in 2014, in an area bordered by the Palm House, the Giant Otters, the Greater Prairie-Chicken runway, and the Anteater runway. The Butterfly Garden is usually open from early summer until early autumn.

The Budapest Zoo is the oldest zoo in Hungary and one of the oldest in the world. It has 1,072 animal species and is located within the City Park of Budapest, in the center of the city, which is unusual for a zoo. The institution opened its doors on August 9, 1866. The park has 1–1.1 million visitors every year. The area is a nature reserve, and has some valuable art nouveau buildings designed by Kornél Neuschloss and Károly Kós. The most special animals that are present in the zoo are the Komodo dragon and since December 2011, the wombat.

Via Turizmus.com; Featured image via Facebook/Fővárosi Állat- és Növénykert