Butterflies Take Flight Again

Thanks to the generous support of our Zoo members, visitors, and donors, our butterflies will take flight again.  Last September, a 45-foot tall red oak tree came crashing down on Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School,destroying the structure.  Thanks to your generous support, we raised $50,000 to rebuild this award-winning exhibit.  Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School is set to reopen in March.

In July 2003, Zoo members and guests strolled among hundreds of butterflies and caterpillars for the first time at the opening of the San Antonio Zoo’s new butterfly exhibit.  It immersed visitors in a lush, tropical habitat surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering freely throughout the enclosed display.  This colorful array of creatures was curious, approachable and often rested on visitors throughout the garden.  The new exhibit will offer visitors a fresher experience on a slightly grander scale. 

The San Antonio Zoo received the 2004 Association of Zoological Horticulture Conservation Award for this exhibit.  The new exhibit will continue to promote conservation through the planting of drought tolerant, butterfly friendly plants.  It will consist of an enclosed tropical butterfly habitat and garden that can accommodate more than 400 brightly colored butterflies.  Visitors will watch these creatures in action as they court, mate, and feed.