Butterfly Pavilion

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Butterfly Pavilion Butterfly Pavilion is the first AZA-accredited, non-profit, invertebrate zoo Butterfly Pavilion is the zoo of small wonders and BIG experiences! Did you know?
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Our mission is to foster an appreciation of invertebrates while educating the public about the importance of conservation of threatened habitats in the tropics and around the world. Butterfly Pavilion was the nation's first stand-alone nonprofit insect zoo! In our exhibits visitors see and interact with live invertebrates from around the globe!

Trying to find that perfect Halloween costume? Well, look no further! Butterfly Pavilion’s invertebrates have just the i...
10/11/2026

Trying to find that perfect Halloween costume? Well, look no further! Butterfly Pavilion’s invertebrates have just the inspiration for you. From bee-witching bugs to arachnid royalty, spooky takes on a whole new meaning for these critters this season!

Let us know in the comments what you are wearing this Halloween, and if any of our invertebrates stole your look!

Our outdoor gardens are bursting with both fall color, and life! Just this week, we spotted painted ladies enjoying our ...
10/10/2026

Our outdoor gardens are bursting with both fall color, and life! Just this week, we spotted painted ladies enjoying our blooms, monarchs stopping to rest and refuel on their journey south and honey bees preparing for winter.

As invertebrates begin to hunker down for the colder months, there are plenty of ways you can help them at home. One of the simplest is to leave leaf litter, perennial stems, and shrubs in place. These provide shelter for overwintering invertebrates like bumblebees, beetles and moths. Leaving leaves in your garden also helps nourish the soil, creating healthier habitat for wildlife in the spring and summer.

Visit Butterfly Pavilion this fall to enjoy not only our incredible animals, but our beautiful gardens, too!

10/09/2026

Meet this week’s Toxic Terror’s animal highlight: the Deathstalker Scorpion!

Don’t let their small size fool you, deathstalker scorpions are equipped with some seriously powerful venom. They are found in North Africa and the Middle East and are nocturnal hunters.

While their intimidating name and potent sting might give them a scary reputation, they are a vitally important predator in their ecosystems. Their incredible adaptations make the Deathstalker a fascinating and formidable example of our natural world!

Ready to take a walk on the wild side? Discover curious creatures with creepy capabilities from now until October 31st ! Learn more about our Toxic Terrors exhibit and get tickets at the link in our bio.

Happy World Octopus Day! Our Giant Pacific Octopus hasn’t arrived at Butterfly Pavilion just yet, but that doesn’t mean ...
10/08/2026

Happy World Octopus Day!

Our Giant Pacific Octopus hasn’t arrived at Butterfly Pavilion just yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate one of the ocean’s most fascinating invertebrates! While we’ve always had smaller octopus species at Butterfly Pavilion, this will be our first Giant Pacific Octopus.

Giant Pacific Octopuses are the largest octopus species in the world and are known for their incredible intelligence and problem-solving abilities. They have three hearts, blue blood, and can change the color and texture of their skin to help them communicate, camouflage themselves, and interact with their surroundings.

Our newly reimagined Water’s Edge exhibit is officially open, and we’re phasing in our animals as their habitats are ready. We can’t wait to introduce you to this incredible animal when the water chemistry is just right!

Until then, celebrate World Octopus Day by learning more about these remarkable ocean giants and the fascinating world of aquatic invertebrates.

Spider webs come in all shapes and sizes and can be used for catching more than just food! Come find out when you visit ...
10/07/2026

Spider webs come in all shapes and sizes and can be used for catching more than just food! Come find out when you visit Spider Zone at Butterfly Pavilion.

Did you know that spider webs are made from silk produced by different silk glands and released through specialized spinnerets? There are several types of silk glands, each producing silk for a different purpose, like creating the outer frame of a web or swaddling captured prey.

While all spiders produce silk, not all of them build webs. Spiders use silk to build shelters, dangle from branches, protect their eggs, or to catch prey.

At Butterfly Pavilion, witness the wonderfully weird world of spider webs, from the orb-weaver spiders in Spider Zone to the tarantulas in Crawl-A-See-Em.

In collaboration with Bee Squared Apiaries, Butterfly Pavilion’s new and exclusive honey is now available in our gift sh...
10/06/2026

In collaboration with Bee Squared Apiaries, Butterfly Pavilion’s new and exclusive honey is now available in our gift shop!

Earlier this summer, our team of beekeepers collected honey from about 25 hives throughout the Denver metro area. From commercial properties to local farms, hundreds of thousands of honey bees worked hard to create this honey, alongside our beekeepers and partners who help maintain the hives and ensure their colonies stay healthy. This includes safely removing the honey bees from the frames, extracting the excess honey, and leaving the rest for the bees! After that, our team brought the honey to Bee Squared Apiaries, who helped us process and bottle it, making it ready for you to enjoy.

You can try this special honey for yourself by purchasing a bottle in our gift shop before it sells out!

10/05/2026

Grab your costume and level up your trick-or-treating with Crawl-O-Ween at Butterfly Pavilion! 🕷️🎃

With candy and toy stations placed throughout the zoo, Crawl-O-Ween invites families and children to enjoy safe, indoor trick-or-treating surrounded by invertebrates! Taking place October 24, 25, and 31, guests have the chance to explore the exhibits while collecting treats, enter the costume contest, walk through Spider Zone, decorate their trick-or-treat bags, and more!

Visit https://butterflies.org/event/crawl-o-ween-trick-or-treating/ to learn more.

Come see our Socotra Blue Baboon Tarantulas! Native only to Yemen’s Socotra Island, located about 150 miles east of the ...
10/04/2026

Come see our Socotra Blue Baboon Tarantulas!

Native only to Yemen’s Socotra Island, located about 150 miles east of the Horn of Africa, these vibrant tarantulas thrive among the island’s rocky terrain, where they weave heavy webs and burrow into crevices.

They’re also one of the few tarantula species that can be kept together in the same enclosure. While they haven’t been observed living communally in the wild, their natural habitat may help explain how they can coexist in captivity. At Butterfly Pavilion, you can see these fascinating spiders up close and admire their beautiful range of blue and gray colors!

📷: Joanne Ashton with Butterly Pavilion

10/03/2026

Both tiny and mighty, the sexy shrimp at Butterfly Pavilion grow to about the size of your pinky nail! These little shrimp wave their tails back and forth to communicate, making movement one of the best ways to spot them among the shallow reef habitat and sea anemones they share a symbiotic relationship with.

Put your animal-spotting skills to the test and let us know in the comments how many sexy shrimp you can find in this video! Or visit Butterfly Pavilion to see them alongside our other aquatic residents in our newly expanded Water’s Edge exhibit!

10/02/2026

Meet this week’s Toxic Terrors animal highlight: the Giant Vinegaroon!

These little creatures have some seriously impressive defenses that can cause skin irritation and localized pain. The acidic spray they release also has a potent vinegar smell, earning them their name. When threatened, they can aim this spray at predators from glands near their tail.

But don’t let that scare you! These fascinating animals play an important role in their ecosystems and are featured in Toxic Terrors to showcase the noxious nature of some wildlife and the extraordinary ways they’ve adapted to survive.

Discover the fascinating world of venomous hunters, poisonous fighters, and so much more October 1–31 at Butterfly Pavilion during our Toxic Terrors exhibition! Learn more and get tickets here: https://butterflies.org/event/toxic-terrors/

Address

6252 West 104th Avenue
Westminster, CO
80020

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13034695441

Website

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