"Wings of Fancy" - Live Butterfly Exhibit
May 2 – September 20, 2009
10:00 AM to 4:00 p.m. daily
Brookside Gardens South
Conservatory
1500 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton,
MD 20902
"Butterfly Hotline": 301-962-1453
Admission
Adults: $5.00
Children (ages 3-12): $4.00
Children (age 2 and under): admitted free.
Groups of 15 or more must pre-register by calling 301-962-1467. School Group Tour Information
NOTE: We regret that we are not able to accommodate strollers in the Butterfly Exhibit. Exhibit tickets and parking are available at the Visitors Center and Conservatories. Tickets may be purchased at either the Visitor Center or the Conservatory Gift Shop and must be purchased by 4 p.m. Tickets are good for re-entry to the exhibit throughout the day of purchase.
Asian, Costa Rican and North American butterflies take flight in our international exhibit celebrating its 12th season. Be surrounded by butterflies flying freely among the tropical flowering nectar plants.
Beginning
in early May and running daily through Mid- September 2008, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 p.m., Brookside Gardens South
Conservatory will feature live butterflies. Come witness the butterfly life cycle as tiny eggs hatch
into crawling, chewing caterpillars, which then encase
themselves in jewel-like chrysalides and emerge as sipping,
flying adult butterflies. Learn about the best annual
and tropical plants, and hardy shrubs that are used
as nectar sources to attract butterflies to your own
garden. 
Peak visitation hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Exhibit tickets and parking are available at the Visitors Center and Conservatories. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for ages 3 to 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free, however, we regret that we are not able to accommodate strollers in the Butterfly Exhibit. The exhibit is wheelchair accessible.
‘Wings of Fancy’ may close during extreme heat advisories or during emergencies. The telephone hotline and the web site are updated frequently in the event of a temporary closure.
Brookside Gardens General Information: 301-962-1400
"Wings of Fancy" Hotline: 301-962-1453
From Monday, May 5 through Thursday, June 12, and from September 2- 19, 2008, many area school children will visit the exhibit on weekdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.. During these times, individuals may prefer to visit the exhibit after 1 p.m. to avoid crowds and for easier access to parking in the conservatory parking lot. The parking lot at the Visitor Center is much larger, but is almost a half mile walk from the exhibit location. Buses may drop off visitors at the conservatory, but may not park in the conservatory lot due to space limitations. They may park at the Visitor Center and return to the conservatory to pick up visitors at a designated time.
Planning a visit for the morning hours after public schools close for the summer is another way to avoid crowds and enjoy the butterflies when the temperatures in the exhibit are more comfortable.
‘Wings of Fancy’ is located inside a greenhouse, which is usually ten degrees warmer than the outside temperature. The exhibit is also more humid than the outside environment and temperatures increase over the course of the day. Visiting the butterfly exhibit and seeing the gardens requires a fair amount of walking. We encourage all visitors to bring water with them during hot weather and to drink water regularly to replace water lost as sweat. We want all our visitors to have a safe and enjoyable visit to Brookside Gardens and ‘Wings of Fancy’ and we look forward to seeing your group at Brookside Gardens.
The Butterfly Exhibit is located in Brookside Gardens south conservatory located at 1500 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902. The Visitors Center is located at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902. Call 301-962-1400 for more information
Volunteers
Volunteers are needed throughout the season. An e-Learning web-based training course is available along with on-site training.
You can apply on-line to volunteer in the exhibit. Visit the
ParksVolunteers Homepage and click on "Search Opportunities.
Call the Volunteer Coordinator at 301-962-1429 for more information, or e-mail mcp-GardenVolunteer@mncppc-mc.org.
2008 Sponsors
Thanks to our 2008 sponsors:
- The Silver Spring Garden Club
- The Takoma Horticultural Club
Date of last update: May 2, 2008
