Visiting the New Butterfly Pavilion at Natural History Museum LA

I’ve been to the Natural History Museum so many times that if you asked me for directions I could take you just about anywhere. Hall of Mammals? Right this way. Hall of Birds? Head upstairs. Dinosaurs? Over here and don’t forget to take a peek at the rotunda. Butterfly Pavilion? Uh oh. You see, I’ve never actually been there. Why I neglected it for so long I don’t know. Luckily, I was invited to the preview of the brand new Butterfly Pavilion and I was able to finally visit it.

The butterfly exhibit has long been a seasonal tradition and due to it’s limited run had been previously housed in a temporary structure. The museum decided it was time for something permanent and last Saturday debuted a brand new pavilion. Located on the South Lawn it’s a roomy structure housing over 25 species of butterflies.

Entering the pavilion I immediately began to spot the beautiful insect.

The structure is filled with light and houses a wide variety of plants that attract the winged creatures.

It was fun to walk around spotting and identifying them. They truly are beautiful and it’s a real treat to see so many varieties up close. The season runs through October 16 and will then be replaced by the Spider Pavilion (eek!). It’s well worth visiting and helps cement the museum’s status as one of my favorite places in LA.