2018 March Break BudFest: from March 10 to March 28!
When we approached the path with free-flying butterflies, we were literally cut off by reckless flyers zooming by! It felt like this was the highway and we had to be careful. There's action in this butterfly conservatory: babbling brooks, small cascading waterfalls, exotic birds and, at times, over 2,000 butterflies, many of them frolicking about. It is fascinating to observe different species of butterflies emerging from their chrysalis (or cocoon if they are moths) in the Emergence Window. The chrysalides and cocoons currently come from Costa Rica and the Philippines. Nearby were resting specimens of the amazing Atlas Moth, a nocturnal insect wider than the face of my then 10-year-old. We had to watch where we walked to avoid crushing butterflies on the floor (a sign they are getting weaker and closer to the end of their life cycle). The beauties would sometimes perch on the kids when they stood still.
The vegetation surrounding the visitors is tropical. The humid air smells of flowers and fruit (butterfly meals on plates). The controlled weather ranges from 24 to 28 Celsius so after a while, a visit to the cooler galleries is welcome. Expect the display of a few live insects. Cambridge's conservatory offers many activities throughout the year, the most popular being Bugfeast during the March Break (a lifetime opportunity to taste chocolate-dipped crickets). Another cool activity is their Flight of White, featuring additional Rice Paper butterflies plus white poinsettia flowers and white lights. (See our 2014 photo gallery of this event at the end of our post on our last visit in the area to see St. Jacobs Model Railway and the Butterfly Conservatory.)
