Smithsonian Butterfly Garden
The butterfly garden at the Smithsonian is located on the Ninth Street side of the National Museum of Natural History building. Four distinct habitats -- wetland, meadow, wood's edge and urban garden -- encourage visitors to observe the partnerships between plants and butterflies. The garden is a joint project of the Horticulture Services Division and the Museum with partial funding from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. The garden, on view at all times, is a perfect complement to a visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo on the second floor of the Museum.
A number of excellent books are available on gardening for butterflies. Museum illustrator Vichai Malikul produced more than 500 color paintings for Eastern Butterflies, part of the Peterson Field Guide series. Museum entomologist Dr. Robert Robbins and Museum botanist Dr. Stanwyn Shetler helped produce Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden, published by the Xerces Society in association with the Smithsonian Institution. These books and others are available in Museum gift shops.
See photographs of butterflies attracted to the butterfly garden, plus the story of how the Museum's first outdoor exhibit was built, on Smithsonian Photographs Online. Also visit the Office of Horticulture's butterfly habitat information site.
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