

Who doesn't like the friendly butterfly? Starting this weekend, the San Diego Zoo will have thousands of the colorful insects on display at the Butterfly Jungle.
The zoo's Wild Animal Park will play host to the Hidden Jungle, an aviary that looks like a South American rain forest. Guests walk through as thousands of species of butterfly, including the blue morpho pictured here, flit from plant to plant, looking for pollen. A close encounter is almost guaranteed, as the butterflies often mistake people for flowers.
Although butterflies are the stars of the show, no pollinator will go uncelebrated—this year's theme is Pollinators of the Animal Kingdom, including birds, bugs, and bats. A Discovery Station in the park will have educational displays about bugs and the ecosystem; there's even a bat cave with live bats. The event is great for kids, with crafts, puzzles, games, a Butterfly Wrangler performing, and a daily butterfly costume parade (so those leftovers from Halloween will get a second use).
Through April 26. Free with the cost of admission, which is $35 for adults and $26 for kids 11 and under. You can buy tickets online.
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Every year from Nov. 1 to April 30, the Tucson Botanical Gardens features its Butterfly Magic exhibit. Several hundred live butterflys can be view up close in a large green house. The butterflys are imported from butterfly farms around the world with each month featuring the butterflys of a specific region. In addition to visiting the butterflys in the green house, they can be seen hatching from their coccoons in the emergency room. A behind the scenes tour is available and photographers can sign up for a special session.
Posted By David Mandel on April 5, 2009, 12:53 AM