The Butterfly Garden in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya Street daily opens its doors to visitors. This is an amazing place where you can plunge into the bright and colorful world of tropical nature.
Who was the first?
Butterfly Garden in St. Petersburg looks exotic, like a small oasis of hot tropics in the northern city. However, the idea of ​​creating such a vibrant greenhouse is not new. Similar gardens have existed for decades in many cities in Europe, the USA and Asia.
The first greenhouse with live butterflies was opened in the distant seventies on the island of Guernsey. The idea of ​​creating such a garden came up with the Englishman David Lowe. In an empty tomato greenhouse on one of the Channel Islands, he was able to reproduce climatic conditions and an environment close to tropical, and successfully breed the first southern butterflies in captivity.
At first, Lowe's idea provoked some skepticism, but soon its popularity exceeded the wildest expectations. The greenhouse garden, where you could freely walk among tropical plants and enjoy the beauty of huge bright creatures, attracted more and more attention. In 1977, it was open to the public and gained immense popularity among locals and tourists.
Tropical paradise
The butterfly garden in St. Petersburg is quite modest in size, but it is built on the same principle as the famous tropical pavilion in the Dutch Emmen - the largest and oldest in Europe. Actually, all such gardens have similar conditions necessary for breeding and maintaining the vital functions of fragile tropical beauties.
The temperature in the garden should not fall below +25 degrees, otherwise the butterflies stop flying and fall into a state of stupor. In the natural environment they live at a much higher temperature and feel more comfortable at +30 ... +32 degrees. However, it’s quite difficult for a person to transfer such indicators indoors, so they are reduced by several degrees for the convenience of both visitors and “exhibits”. As expected in the rainforest, it maintains high humidity.
Butterfly Life in the Garden of Eden
A glass aquarium with cocoons, located right in the hall, allows you to admire the appearance of motley beauties in the light. The butterfly gradually crawls out of the cocoon and spreads its moist wings. Fortified individuals can freely fly around the hall and delight the kids. The Butterfly Garden in St. Petersburg, even with a small room, gives visitors the opportunity to see this burning moment and enjoy the miracle of the birth of exotic beauties.
Usually in such gardens, even with more tropical plants, butterflies are specially fed. Not all of them eat floral nectar, and besides, with an impressive number of pets, it is not enough. For these purposes, special drinking bowls are installed in the hall with water sweetened with honey. Overripe sweet fruits are laid out on other coasters. Butterflies during feeding can be considered in detail.
Unfortunately, these vibrant creatures live only a few days.
Butterfly Garden in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya: reviews and recommendations
Today, the exhibition of living tropical butterflies is a huge success among city residents. The pavilion itself is part of a large entertainment complex, which will be interesting for both children and adults.
The Butterfly Garden in St. Petersburg, although inferior in size and abundance of exhibits to other similar objects, nevertheless invariably attracts visitors. A warm, welcoming atmosphere, the opportunity to touch the “exhibits”, play with beautiful wings and, in addition to everything, see funny tropical birds favorably distinguishes this place.
Butterflies here are not at all afraid of people. They flutter freely, sit on their hands, do not hide from the lenses. Catching such a beauty and trying on, at least for a moment, as a decoration is quite easy. However, you don’t even have to catch it, just lend a hand - and some mottled winged peacock-eye atlas will certainly sit on the palm of your hand.
Queen of the Garden
An opportunity to see one of the most beautiful inhabitants of the tropics also provides a butterfly garden in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya. Photos of the "prince of darkness" are sometimes intimidating. Meanwhile, this creature is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful butterflies on the planet. The peacock-eye Atlas, or, in Latin, Attacus atlas (its scientific name), is the largest on Earth. The wingspan of a peacock-eye reaches 24 centimeters.
Interestingly, in India this species is cultivated as silkworm. The phagar silk, which is distinguished by the caterpillar of the peacock-eye atlas, is noticeably different from what the silkworm gives . It is brown, woolly and very strong.
Now this living tropical beauty can be seen in the center of the Northern capital.