COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – There is a very special place right in our South Florida backyard that you may forget about due to your day to day work and school flow, but with summer around the corner, you may have more time on your hands to grab your munchkins and visit some of our hidden gems that get all the tourist attraction attention.
One of those places boasts 20,000 exotic butterflies and birds under one roof.
“What we have are butterflies from all over the world, India, New Guinea, we have botanical gardens, flowers from all over the world, we have a lot of native flowers as well,” Butterfly World tour guide Jackie Minett said.
Minett spends her days sharing her knowledge.
“So they start as an egg and they go to a caterpillar, the larvae, and they go to the chrysalis, the pupa, and then they hatch as an adult, the babies are the caterpillars,” Minett said.
Minett makes sure to include little tidbits on her tours that everyone loves to learn.
“Did you know that butterflies actually love the music? I’m not kidding. And they actually love to soar on the wind, so already, why wouldn’t you love that about a butterfly,” she said.
“There’s different types of butterflies and some can camouflage to get away from their predators,” first grader Paisley Jameson told Local 10 animal advocate Jacey Birch.
“Some butterflies are really tiny and some are really big,” Jupiter Birch added, saying his favorites are the big ones.
“It looks like a bird!” he said.
Minett is famed for not just teaching students on field trips, but inspiring them to take what they learn and bring it home with them.
First grader Addison Edmonson said she wants to make a butterfly garden at her house.
And that is Minett’s main goal there -- to inspire the younger generation to plant host plants and wildflowers to give caterpillars homes and butterflies food.
Butterfly World is home to at least 33 species. They smell through their antenna and they taste through their toes.
They each have their own mating dance and they hatch as full grown adults.
Most only live a few weeks -- max a few months -- but even with their short lifespan, their beauty is incredibly unique.
The Florida state butterfly is the zebra long wing and it lives up to 10 months long due to its high nectar diet.
Lizards, frogs and birds are all predators of the butterflies and can eat half a dozen a day each, so keep planting those wildflowers for the nectar and the host plants, like milkweed, dill and violet to make more caterpillars.
Butterfly World is on Sample Road in Coconut Creek, and this summer is a great time to check out their exhibits at discounted rates!
Click here for more information.