A close-up of a monarch butterfly with orange and black wings feeding on a bright pink flower, surrounded by green leaves and additional pink blossoms in the background.

BUTTERFLY GARDEN

ABOUT THE ExHIBIT

Butterfly Garden

Open May 23 through September 7, 2026

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Daily

Costs: $3 per person, $2.40 members, free kids 2 and under.

The Butterfly Garden is a magical experience where guests of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can experience the wondrous world of “flying flowers.” Stroll among hundreds of free-flying butterflies inside an enclosed space, all while surrounded by a display of beautiful flowers. Learn about the life cycle of these colorful, winged insects while watching larvae undergo a miraculous metamorphosis as they emerge as butterflies. Behind the Butterfly Garden, the year-round Microsoft Pollinator Patio abounds with pollinator-friendly plants. Be inspired to help pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, beetles and bees.

Microsoft Pollinator Patio

Open year-round

Want to attract beautiful butterflies and other pollinators to your own backyard? This garden is full of ideas and actions you can take on behalf of native pollinators such as hummingbirds, beetles, bees and flies. Before you leave, take a sneak peek at the zoo’s Silverspot Butterfly Lab where zookeepers and teen volunteers hatch and raise endangered Oregon silverspot butterflies for release into protected wild habitat.

Pollinator Toolkit

Pollinator Plant Guide

A comprehensive list of all the flowering plants in the Butterfly Garden and Microsoft Pollinator Patio.

Your guide to a healthy garden starts here

Need tips for natural pest control? Get the dirt on dirt and pro-tips on plants—feel good about your garden and keep it a vibrant habitat for pollinators!

action for pollinatorS

Pollinator Power

Bee inspired to do more for tiny, important pollinators. Join the movement to create habitat, support wildlife, clean up green spaces and spread the love for Northwest pollinators in your community and beyond!

See what the buzz is all about!

Protecting a Rare Pacific Northwest Pollinator

Animal keepers assist in releasing endangered island marble butterflies, learn more about this collaborative recovery project on San Juan Island, WA.

Find out more

Saving Northwest Butterflies

Giving endangered butterflies a headstart before releasing into protected Northwest coastal grasslands.

Find out more