What to see and do

The Butterfly House

See the beautiful inhabitants of The Butterfly House.

No visit to Cumberland House Natural History Museum is complete without a trip to The Butterfly House.

A rainbow of colours

We have a whole host of neo-tropical species, in a veritable rainbow of colours. There are striking blue morphos, beautiful swallowtails and even the aptly named glasswing. We have information boards outside The Butterfly House to help you identify the species contained within, as well as ID sheets which can be taken inside. Of course, our helpful staff are also on hand to answer any questions. Be sure to take a look in the puparium, where our pupae can safely and comfortably transform into butterflies. You’ll be able to see the huge variety on display, with pupae often as different from one another as the butterflies that come after.
A butterfly on a leaf
Although only 2% of pupae actually survive to become butterflies in the wild, the figure at the museum is nearer 80% – thanks to keeping favourable conditions in and predators out. It’s not just about the butterflies, though, as the greenhouse is also home to a great many tropical plants that thrive on the warm, humid conditions. They have been specially chosen to make the best habitat possible for our winged inhabitants. The Butterfly House has a Zoo Licence, on account of helping educate people about biodiversity, having a high standard of animal care, doing all we can to stop the butterflies escape and pests getting in, and more besides. Please note, butterfly season is May – September. The greenhouse will typically be open outside of this period but butterflies will only be on the wing during this summer season. Follow the Facebook account for the most up-to-date information and to see all the latest pictures of our butterflies.

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