Butterfly House in Birmingham

Our Butterfly House is open from Late May until the first Sunday in September.

Our butterfly house is alive with a kaleidoscope of vivid butterflies from across the tropical world.

Butterfly Farm at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

A Great Mormon butterfly

The Butterfly House at Birmingham Botanical Gardens is home to an array of colourful tropical butterflies from as far as the Philippines, Central America and tropical parts of Africa. Watch these stunning butterflies drinking from exotic, scented, nectar-rich tropical plants such as Lantana, Trachelospermum and Heliotrope.

Butterfly House in Birmingham

The Butterfly House

See the Butterflies feeding on sugar-water feeders and saucers of fermenting fruit such as bananas, apples, and oranges. Each week, 100 new pupae are placed in the emerging case- we attach them to bamboo canes with glue! Some chrysalises may hatch on the same day, whilst others take a week or so- if you are lucky, you may see one hatch! On sunny days, the butterflies will fly around you and may even land on you to say hello. On cloudy days, they prefer to rest in the foliage and are camouflaged as ‘dead leaves’.

Where is the Butterfly house?

Our tropical Butterfly House, located at the far-left corner of the gardens and is open every day from late May until the first Sunday in September. From late September to early May, we change this glasshouse to an overwintering glasshouse. This is where, during the winter, we keep our cacti which were planted outside on the Terrace for the summer.

Butterfly House at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

The Great Mormon butterfly on red flower

What types of butterflies are in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens?

In our Birmingham-based tropical Butterfly House, there is an astonishing variety of butterflies throughout the summer months of the year. These include the Great Mormon butterfly, Black Swallowtail butterfly and much more!

Butterfly House in Birmingham

A White Morphine butterfly

How can plants help butterflies?

Butterflies are struggling to thrive across many peoples’ gardens in today’s society, and you can help by using the correct plants! Plants provide nectar for adult butterflies and moths, as well as leaves to lay eggs on for their young caterpillars to eat.

Creating a butterfly border with the correct plants can allow butterflies to grow as well as provide food and shelter for them. You can read more about this on our Butterfly Boarder page.

Butterfly House in Birmingham

A Black Swallowtail butterfly