Victoria Butterfly Gardens
By David Roberts
After a 9 week ‘metamorphosis’ Victoria Butterfly Gardens is now ready to emerge from their pupae and show off their new wings, or in this case their new roof and redesign. December 7, 2013 is the grand reopening of Victoria Butterfly Gardens.
The facility is a 12,000 square foot glass house, although now the new roof has been made from a polycarbonate material, which weighs very little in comparison to glass. Its insulation properties are up to ten times better than the glass roof that was there before, plus it provides a much safer environment in the event of an earthquake.
David Roberts, General Manager said “It was the right time. The building has been in existence for over 20 years and as technology changes we wanted to take advantage of these factors to lower our carbon footprint.” Because the Gardens are tropical and host a variety of tropical plant life, birds and other creatures the temperature is maintained at a balmy 25 degrees Celsius. The energy savings are expected to be considerable with this new roof.
“We have been getting so many questions about every aspect of the construction, relating to the animals, butterflies and plants. Pupae are onsite and will have emerged into butterflies by the time we open December 7.
"Our friends in the industry have helped keep our animals safe and healthy during the closure. Some have stayed in temporary housing on site and others have been housed at approved homes of site. The safety and well-being of their animals is of paramount importance. They are part of our family. Most of the animals at Butterfly Gardens have come from private homes where owners have not been able to look after them any longer, and some have been rescued from places where they were not receiving the care they need.”
Other improvements have been to the look and feel of the admissions and gift shop area, which are now more user friendly and inviting to guests. The average guest will not notice the change in the roof but many of the pillars have been removed for better sight lines and visitors will definitely notice some of the new tropical birds that have just arrived.
All in all, “the Jungle”, as the staff like to refer to it, is ready to give you a dose of the tropics. So as the weather outside gets colder, wetter and gray….a trip to Butterfly Gardens is like a trip to a tropical paradise.
Christmas lights are on in the jungle from 10am daily with last admission at 5pm from December 7-31 (closed Christmas day).
Contact: David Roberts, General Manager, Victoria Butterfly Gardens, (250)508-0075, email: david@butterflygardens.com