One of our very favorite things to do on the cusp of spring is to head to Frederik  Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every spring, they have a special butterfly exhibit in their large conservatory, which teaches visitors about the life cycle of the butterfly - and provides thousands of butterflies for visitors to watch!

Come along with me as we meander through the walkways. Smell the lovely tropical air, and feel the warmth as winter recedes in the face of such tropical beauty...

Meijer Gardens notes:

"Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming is Meijer Gardens' most popular annual exhibition and the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibit in the nation. March 1–April 30, visitors can escape the Michigan winter and mingle with more than 6,000 tropical butterflies flying free in the 15,000-square-foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.

The exhibition boasts more than 40 different species from the Far East, Africa and Central America. Each week hundreds of chrysalises arrive at Meijer Gardens and are painstakingly sorted, inspected, labeled and pinned in our sealed Butterfly Bungalow. The chrysalises are then placed in a special emergence area of the Bungalow where visitors can witness through a window their magical transformation into butterflies!

Once ready to be released into the Conservatory, the butterflies are placed on plants where they acclimate to the environment and gain strength before taking to the air. It's a wonderful place for photos and just one of the opportunities for visitors to observe the butterflies up-close and personal. Throughout the tropical environment, butterflies can be viewed drinking nectar from the flowering plants and feeding stations, lighting on the odd nose or shoulder, and congregating along the stream beds, as well as in flight all around. "

For more information on the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, please see:

http://www.meijergardens.org/

This photo essay is part of a larger series of Travel Photos, hosted by Delicious Baby. Head over to http://www.deliciousbaby.com/ to view them!