The Butterfly House

The Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House has celebrated over 30 years of sharing one of our favorite aspects of nature with the public, butterflies.

In our greenhouse, we strive to create a rich and biodiverse ecosystem in which our guests can enjoy the tranquility of over a thousand butterflies flying to relaxing music.

Butterflies are often seen as ‘charismatic microfauna’. Meaning that though they are low on the food chain, butterflies are widely appreciated and valued due to their symbolism and beauty. This recognition and attention gives the butterfly a unique opportunity to act as an ambassador in conservation education. As we advocate for utilizing biocontrol measures in home gardens instead of pesticides or encourage incorporating native flowers and host plants into the landscape. More habitats are being created for other beneficial species of insects and microbes. These are small steps to create pollinator corridors that will attract more butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds to your area.

Our butterflies are imported as chrysalises and incubated until they emerge. We release our newly emerged butterflies twice a day, stop by to see their first flight in the garden!

Daily Butterfly Release Times:

10:30 AM
4:30 PM