BE ADVISED: On Sunday, December 3, CicLAvia South LA will take place from 9 am-3 pm and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd will be closed to motorists. Traffic around the Museum may be impacted. Please plan your visit accordingly. If you are heading North on the 110 freeway, take exit 20B for Exposition Blvd to access the Museum. Taking public transportation to the Museum is also very easy and convenient via Metro's Expo Line. For more information, contact us at info@nhm.org or 213.763.DINO.

Butterfly Pavilion

Watch butterflies take flight around you in this seasonal exhibition.

Butterflies photographed from above on a pink background

General Info

- Closed for the 2023 season

Wonder takes flight at the Museum! Walk among beautiful butterflies in our seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. This springtime exhibition features hundreds of butterflies, colorful native plants, and plenty of natural light to help you see these creatures shimmer. With lots of flight space and a variety of resting spots, come get one of the best views in Los Angeles of these amazing insects.


Learn more in the video below:

Mother and child with butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion


 

A blue butterfly on a branch in the Butterfly Pavilion

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Visitors in the Butterfly Pavilion
Two visitor walking together and pointing at a butterfly on the ground in the Butterfly Pavilion

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Two morpho butterflies on the ground in the Butterfly Pavilion
A Museum Educator interacting with visitors in the Butterfly Pavilion

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A sister looking at a butterfly that landed on her brother in the Butterfly Pavilion

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A yellow butterfly on foliage in the Butterfly Pavilion

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ALONG THE WAY, YOU'LL:

  • See all stages in the butterfly life cycle, including eggs, caterpillars feeding on leaves, and chrysalises.
  • See caterpillars feeding on leaves.
  • Count up to 30 different species, including California natives like the Western tiger swallowtail and Common buckeye. View our Butterfly Pavilion Guide in English or Spanish.
  • Chat with museum educators and animal care specialists to find out what makes these animals so special.
  • Have a chance to shop in the NHM Butterfly Pavilion store.

This exhibition includes live animals. Did you know the Museum has a professional animal care team on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit at the Museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes.

SEE BELOW FOR ANSWERS TO OUR MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: