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Grand
Rapids, MI – February 2025 / NewsmakerAlert: Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announces the return of the much-loved
Fred
& Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, now in its
30th year. This highly anticipated event, the largest temporary tropical
butterfly exhibition in the United States, showcases the stunning diversity
and intricate beauty of butterflies and moths. Fred & Dorothy Fichter
Butterflies Are Blooming, opening March
1 and running through April 30, invites
visitors to celebrate the unique spectacle of thousands of tropical butterflies
flying freely within the lush environment of the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
This
exhibition represents a global journey, featuring more than 60 butterfly
and moth species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. The
five-story, 15,000-square-foot glass house provides the ideal tropical
setting for these vibrant world travelers. Guests will experience species;
from dazzling blue morphos and stealthy clearwings to majestic Atlas moths
and elegant tree nymphs.
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“Butterflies
have always been a cherished part of our spring, and this year’s exhibition
promises to be more engaging than ever,” said Steve
LaWarre, Senior Vice President. “We are thrilled to celebrate three
decades of connecting with the beauty of tropical butterflies in exciting
new ways.”
In
addition to showcasing the butterflies’ aerial ballet, the exhibition offers
guests unique, up-close experiences at feeding stations with nectar plants
and at the Observation Station, where thousands of chrysalides and cocoons
emerge and reveal the magic of metamorphosis. Approximately 1,000 chrysalides
are delivered to Meijer Gardens each week of the exhibition.
This
year’s milestone exhibition celebrates the tropics with vibrant flora displays
of purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows. Guests can look forward to layered
beds of bulbs, fresh hues of hyacinths, unique tulip varieties, and North
American natives like Camassia quamash. The conservatory will also feature
new elements, such as suspended feeding stations with tropical fruit slices
and colorful arrangements of air plants, bromeliads, and orchids.
Volunteers
Various
jobs and shifts are available. Contact Tony England at aengland@meijergardens.org
or 616-974-5221.
Membership
Members
of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park enjoy unique members-only
events and exhibition openings, valuable discounts, and reciprocal benefits
to more than 300 gardens nationwide. Exclusively for members, Meijer Gardens
is open early the first full weekend of each month on Saturdays from 8
am–9 am and Sundays from 9 am–11 am. Learn more at: MeijerGardens.org/membership.
Online
Ticketing
Expedite
entry and skip the ticketing line by reserving tickets online. Guests can
visit MeijerGardens.org/tickets
to purchase tickets online. When on-site, head directly to the Entry Desk
for easy entry.
Fred
& Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming is made possible by Fred
and Dorothy Fichter and family; Howard Miller Company; The Meijer Foundation;
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation; Botanic and Sculpture
Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, and Michigan
Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts. Media sponsors are Star 105.7 FM, WOOD-TV8 and
Blue Lake Public Radio.
About
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the world’s most significant
botanic and sculpture experiences, was named the 2023 and 2024 Best Sculpture
Park in the United States by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice
Awards and listed as the 90th-most-visited art museum in the world and
15th most visited in the country by The Art Newspaper, the leading global
art news publication. Education programs welcome 80,000 students and guests
each year. Culinary Arts & Events offerings include weddings, corporate
meetings and award-winning catering. The 158-acre main campus features
Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest
interactive children’s gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze
sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house;
outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an 8-acre Japanese
garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater
garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians
each summer. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures
from internationally acclaimed artists Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui,
Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks,
Henry Moore, Michele Oka Donor, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin,
Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE and Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor
galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions have presented shows by Jonathan
Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Rebecca
Louise Law, Pablo Picasso, George Segal and others.
Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park promotes the enjoyment, understanding,
and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the
arts.
Media
Contact:
John
VanderHaagen
Director
of Communications
Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
616-975-3180
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