Traveling for butterflies in the Phoenix Desert

Four more days until the Butterfly Exhibit Closes at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, so I wanted to post my review of the experience (written for my review writing class) while y'all still have a chance to see it.  Enjoy!  

Traveling for Butterflies in the Phoenix Desert

A blue spotted Pipevine Swallow tail butterfly is about to land on my shoulder and like a little kid I’m yelling “Mom Mom, take my picture!” My Californian mom gets her camera out in a flurry as my visiting grandaunt Aunty-Em looks on bemused.

We’re currently inside of the Spring Butterfly exhibit in the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, and if you’re from Arizona and seeking to take out-of-towners to an intriguing part of desert, this exhibit should not be missed.

The Spring Butterfly Exhibit is put on annually, this year from March 6 through May 9 inside of the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion.  This large mesh enclosure hosts the hundreds of butterflies amongst desert plants, and (thankfully) has a mister system that sprays every few minutes to maintain a humid temperature for the butterflies to thrive while also keeping the patrons cool in the desert heat.

There a sixteen species of butterflies in the exhibit, such as the green and black Malachite butterfly, the orange tinted Painted Lady butterfly, the bright yellow Cloudless Giant Sulfur butterfly, and the reddish brown Buckeye butterfly.  The main attraction of the exhibit is the chance for one of the pretty creatures to land on a tourist, which delightfully happens often.  

There are dozens of butterflies, most whom clustered on the mesh walls and desert tree branches.  Every few minutes one can hear someone in the crowd happily exclaiming to their companions that one of the playful butterflies was perched on them.  

I was quite surprised to see the variety of people at the exhibit.  The children seemed to like it best with their giggles and the butterflies themselves seemed to enjoy the younger ones the most as well, as they landed on them more than any other age group.  There were also several college-age couples enjoying the exhibit as well as the older set whom, like my 81-year old grandaunt, took advantage of the benches inside of the enclosure to sit and talk amongst their friends.

There aren’t too many tricks about how get a butterfly to land on you, but the butterflies seemed to land more often on smaller children, lighter color clothing, and those who were sitting down on one of the benches.

This is the ninth annual Spring Butterfly exhibit which attracts about 1,500-2,000 people daily.  Arizona is home to about 350 species of butterflies, and nearly all of the butterflies in the enclosure are locals from the state.  


Personally I found the exhibit to be a slight disappointment.  I suppose I expected dozens of butterflies fluttering about in a sort of surreal jungle exhibit, but after living in Arizona for some time the familiar desert plants used in the exhibit made me feel blasé about the setting.  As far as the butterflies, while they were quite abundant, were not fluttering about in the thousands like a painted daydream.  My best advice to a local is to battle the disappointment with an open mind of someone not from the desert and I’m sure you’ll love it as a worthwhile travel spot.

As the butterfly exhibit is situated inside of the Desert Botanical Gardens going to the see the butterflies is actually a chance to see the Gardens as well.

Operating since 1939 the Desert Botanical Garden covers over 50 acres of land with about 21,000 desert plants. The Gardens see about 300,000 visitors each year, and offer not only the Butterfly Exhibit but also host seasonal garden tours, children’s day, Jazz in the Gardens, and flashlight tours.

Between the Spring Butterfly exhibit and the Gardens, your traveling guests will have much to talk about.
Sometimes traveling is more about the story to tell when you get home versus the actual experience.  If you are a local looking for an interesting place to explore, this exhibit may not be worth your while as you’ll see much of what is already in your backyard.  However, if you are hosting out-of-towners and especially those who’ve never been to a desert before, this is the place to take them.  They’ll have a story to brag home about walking amongst the lively colorful butterflies that live in the beautiful and strange Phoenix desert.

Spring Butterfly Exhibit
March 6 through May 9 inside of the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion
The Desert Botanical Gardens is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, seven days a week, year round except for July 4, Thanksgiving Day and December 25.
Garden Seasonal Hours:
October - April / 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
May - September / 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
During evening hours certain trails are closed.
Garden Members are admitted free
Adults: $15.00
Seniors: $13.50 (60 years and older)
Students (13-18 and college with ID): $7.50
Children (3-12): $5.00
Children under 3 are admitted free