Butterfly Park

A GATE Report for the Month of January, February & March 2010

Submitted by:

Bineet chhajer

SPA/NS/LA/422

Session 2009-2010
INTRODUCTION:
The Butterfly Park accommodates different users- the butterfly, the researcher and the visitor. But
the researcher and the visitor both depend on the butterfly. It’s the reason why the park would
exist. So understanding how the butterfly functions, which is the life cycle is of utmost importance.
Secondly, why do we need a butterfly park at all? Exploring why there are the existences of such
parks all around the world. Lastly, how the impact of such a park would be socially and culturally.
Whether the architecture of such a building can be a symbolic representation of the place and time;
therefore the key research issues would include the following:

PRIMARY RESEARCH- The butterfly.

 To understand butterflies, their life-cycle, habits and survival

 To understand their needs- ecological, anthropometric and technological

SECONDARY RESEARCH- The Butterfly Park.

 To understand how and why butterfly conservation is important.

The case studies to support these issues are-

 Butterfly World, Florida,

 Butterfly Conservatory, Vienna,
 Butterfly House, St. Louis.

All the case studies are different in their scale as well as context. The first one is the Butterfly World
in Florida. It is a 27 acre site, wholly dedicated to the conservation of butterflies. The Butterfly
conservatory in Vienna is a part of the Hofburg palace complex. The conservatory first served as a
palm house or a greenhouse where palm trees are grown. The greenhouse is a good example of
splendid Jugendstil architecture. The palace complex was later renovated and converted into a
museum. The greenhouse was later turned into a butterfly aviary with restaurants inside. Visitors
could visit the museum with the added bonus of the conservatory which was located at the back
lawns of the complex. Lastly the Butterfly House in St. Louis was integrated into Faust Park. The
plan allows for the creative continuation of the present park facilities, including the 1904 World's
Fair carousel. It is built in the old Victorian style architecture.
Butterfly

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for
their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular
metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they
regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their
erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a fairly popular hobby. Butterflies comprise
the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the
moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and
aposematism. Some migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and
parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Butterflies are important economically as
agents of pollination. In addition, a few species are pests, because they can damage domestic crops
and trees in their larval stage.

Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

The four-stage lifecycle-

Unlike many insects, butterflies do not experience a nymph period, but instead go through a pupa
stage which lies between the larva and the adult stage (the imago). Butterflies are termed as
holometabolous insects, and go through complete metamorphosis.

 Egg

 Larva, known as a caterpillar

 Pupa (chrysalis)

 Adult butterfly (imago)

It is a popular belief that butterflies have very short life spans. However, butterflies in their adult
stage can live from a week to nearly a year depending on the species. Many species have long larval
life stages while others can remain dormant in their pupa or egg stages and thereby survive
winters.

Butterflies may have one or more broods per year. The number of generations per year varies from
temperate to tropical regions with tropical regions showing a trend towards multivoltinism.

Egg
Butterfly eggs consist of a hard-ridged outer layer of shell, called the
chorion. This is lined with a thin coating of wax which prevents the
egg from drying out before the larva has had time to fully develop.
Each egg contains a number of tiny funnel-shaped openings at one
end, called micropyles; the purpose of these holes is to allow sperm
to enter and fertilize the egg. Butterfly and moth eggs vary greatly in
size between species, but they are all either spherical or ovate.

Egg of Ariadne merione

Butterfly eggs are fixed to a leaf with special glue which hardens rapidly. As it hardens it contracts,
deforming the shape of the egg. This glue is easily seen surrounding the base of every egg forming a
meniscus. The nature of the glue is unknown and is a suitable subject for research. The same glue is
produced by a pupa to secure the setae of the cremaster. This glue is so hard that the silk pad, to
which the setae are glued, cannot be separated.

Eggs are usually laid on plants. Each species of butterfly has its own host plant range and while
some species of butterfly are restricted to just one species of plant, others use a range of plant
species, often including members of a common family.

Caterpillars
Butterfly larvae, or caterpillars, consume plant leaves and spend practically all
of their time in search of food. Although most caterpillars are herbivorous, a
few species such as Spalgis epius and Liphyra brassolis are entomophagous
(insect eating).

Caterpillars of Junonia coenia.

Some larvae, especially those of the Lycaenidae, form mutual associations with ants. They
communicate with the ants using vibrations that are transmitted through the substrate as well as
using chemical signals. The ants provide some degree of protection to these larvae and they in turn
gather honeydew secretions.

Some caterpillars have the ability to inflate parts of their head to appear snake-like. Many have
false eye-spots to enhance this effect. Some caterpillars have special structures called osmeteria
which are everted to produce smelly chemicals. These are used in defense.

Host plants often have toxic substances in them and caterpillars are able to sequester these
substances and retain them into the adult stage. This helps making them unpalatable to birds and
other predators. Such unpalatibility is advertised using bright red, orange, black or white warning
colours. The toxic chemicals in plants are often evolved specifically to prevent them from being
eaten by insects. Insects in turn develop countermeasures or make use of these toxins for their own
survival. This "arms race" has led to the co evolution of insects and their host plants.

Pupa
When the larva is fully grown, hormones such as prothoracicotropic hormone
(PTTH) are produced. At this point the larva stops feeding and begins
"wandering" in the quest of a suitable pupation site, often the underside of a
leaf.

The larva transforms into a pupa (or chrysalis) by anchoring itself to a substrate
and moulting for the last time. The chrysalis is usually incapable of movement,
although some species can rapidly move the abdominal segments or produce
sounds to scare potential predators.
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary
The pupa transformation into a butterfly through metamorphosis has held great appeal to mankind.
To transform from the miniature wings visible on the outside of the pupa into large structures
usable for flight, the pupa wings undergo rapid mitosis and absorb a great deal of nutrients. If one
wing is surgically removed early on, the other three will grow to a larger size. In the pupa, the wing
forms a structure that becomes compressed from top to bottom and pleated from proximal to
distal ends as it grows, so that it can rapidly be unfolded to its full adult size. Several boundaries
seen in the adult color pattern are marked by changes in the expression of particular transcription
factors in the early pupa.

Adult or imago

The adult, sexually mature, stage of the insect is known as the imago. As Lepidoptera, butterflies
have four wings that are covered with tiny scales. The fore and hindwings are not hooked together,
permitting a more graceful flight. An adult butterfly has six legs, but in the nymphalids, the first pair
is reduced. After it emerges from its pupa stage, a butterfly cannot fly until the wings are unfolded.
A newly-emerged butterfly needs to spend some time inflating its wings with blood and letting
them dry, during which time it is extremely vulnerable to predators. Some butterflies' wings may
take up to three hours to dry while others take about one hour. Most butterflies and moths will
excrete excess dye after hatching. This fluid may be white, red, orange, or in rare cases, blue.

External morphology

Adult butterflies have four wings: a forewing and hind wing on both the left and the right side of the
body. The body is divided into three segments: the head, thorax, and the abdomen. They have two
antennae, two compound eyes, and a proboscis.

Scales

Butterflies are characterized by their scale-covered wings. The coloration of butterfly wings is
created by minute scales. These scales are pigmented with melanin that give them blacks and
browns, but blues, greens, reds and iridescence are usually created not by pigments but the
microstructure of the scales. This structural coloration is the result of coherent scattering of light by
the photonic crystal nature of the scales. The scales cling somewhat loosely to the wing and come
off easily without harming the butterfly.

Scales on the wing give Closeup of the scales of the A Monarch butterfly with the scales
the colours Inachisio. rubbed off a section of the wing.
Polymorphism

Many adult butterflies exhibit polymorphism, showing differences in appearance. These variations
include geographic variants and seasonal forms. In addition many species have females in multiple
forms, often with mimetic forms. Sexual dimorphism in coloration and appearance is widespread in
butterflies.

Genetic abnormalities such as gynandromorphy also occur from time to time. In addition many
butterflies are infected by Wolbachia and infection by the bacteria can lead to the conversion of
males into females or the selective killing of males in the egg stage.

Mimicry

Batesian and Mullerian mimicry in butterflies is common. Batesian mimics imitate other species to
enjoy the protection of an attribute they do not share, aposematism in this case. The Common
Mormon of India has female morphs which imitate the unpalatable red-bodied swallowtails, the
Common Rose and the Crimson Rose. Mullerian mimicry occurs when aposematic species evolve to
resemble each other, presumably to reduce predator sampling rates.

Wing markings called eyespots are present in some species; these may have an automimicry role
for some species. In others, the function may be intraspecies communication, such as mate
attraction. In several cases, however, the function of butterfly eyespots is not clear, and may be an
evolutionary anomaly related to the relative elasticity of the genes that encode the spots.

Seasonal polyphenism

Many of the tropical butterflies have distinctive seasonal forms. This phenomenon is termed
seasonal polyphenism and the seasonal forms of the butterflies are called the dry-season and wet-
season forms. How the season affects the genetic expression of patterns is still a subject of
research. Experimental modification by ecdysone hormone treatment has demonstrated that it is
possible to control the continuum of expression of variation between the wet and dry-season
forms. The dry-season forms are usually more cryptic and it has been suggested that the protection
offered may be an adaptation. Some also show greater dark colours in the wet-season form which
may have thermoregulatory advantages by increasing ability to absorb solar radiation.

Habits

Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, tree
sap, rotting fruit, dung, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are important as
pollinators for some species of plants although in general they do not carry as much pollen load as
the Hymenoptera. They are however capable of moving pollen over greater distances. Within the
Lepidoptera, the Hawkmoths and the Noctuidae are dominant as pollinators.
As adults, butterflies consume only liquids and these are sucked by means of their proboscis. They
feed on nectar from flowers and also sip water from damp patches. This they do for water, for
energy from sugars in nectar and for sodium and other minerals which are vital for their
reproduction. Several species of butterflies need more sodium than provided by nectar. They are
attracted to sodium in salt and they sometimes land on people, attracted by human sweat. Besides
damp patches, some butterflies also visit dung, rotting fruit or carcasses to obtain minerals and
nutrients. In many species, this Mud-puddling behaviour is restricted to the males and studies have
suggested that the nutrients collected are provided as a nuptial gift along with the spermatophore
during mating.

Butterflies sense the air for scents, wind and nectar using their antennae. The antennae come in
various shapes and colours. The hesperids have a pointed angle or hook to the antennae, while
most other families show knobbed antennae. The antennae are richly covered with sensillae. A
butterfly's sense of taste is coordinated by chemoreceptors on the tarsi, which work only on
contact, and are used to determine whether an egg-laying insect's offspring will be able to feed on
a leaf before eggs are laid on it. Many butterflies use chemical signals, pheromones, and specialized
scent scales (androconia) and other structures (coremata or 'Hair pencils' in the Danaidae) are
developed in some species.

Vision is well developed in butterflies and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum.
Many species show sexual dimorphism in the patterns of UV reflective patches. Color vision may be
widespread but has been demonstrated in only a few species.

Some butterflies have organs of hearing and some species are also known to make stridulatory and
clicking sounds.

Many butterflies, such as the Monarch butterfly, are migratory and capable of long distance flights.
They migrate during the day and use the sun to orient themselves. They also perceive polarized
light and use it for orientation when the sun is hidden.

Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species or individuals that
may stray into them. Some species will bask or perch on chosen perches. The flight styles of
butterflies are often characteristic and some species have courtship flight displays. Basking is an
activity which is more common in the cooler hours of the morning. Many species will orient
themselves to gather heat from the sun. Some species have evolved dark wingbases to help in
gathering more heat and this is especially evident in alpine forms.

Flight

Like many other members of the insect world, the lift generated by butterflies is more than what
can be accounted for by steady-state, non-transitory aerodynamics. Studies using Vanessa atalanta
in a windtunnel show that they use a wide variety of aerodynamic mechanisms to generate force.
These include wake capture, vortices at the wing edge, rotational mechanisms and Weis-Fogh 'clap-
and-fling' mechanisms. The butterflies were also able to change from one mode to another rapidly.
Migration

Many butterflies migrate over long distances. Particularly famous migrations being those of the
Monarch butterfly from Mexico to North America, a distance of about 4,000 to 4,800 kilometres
(2500-3000 miles). Other well known migratory species include the Painted Lady and several of the
Danaine butterflies. Spectacular and large scale migrations associated with the Monsoons are seen
in peninsular India. Migrations have been studied in more recent times using wing tags and also
using stable hydrogen isotopes.

Butterflies have been shown to navigate using time compensated sun compasses. They can see
polarized light and therefore orient even in cloudy conditions. The polarized light in the region close
to the ultraviolet spectrum is suggested to be particularly important.

It is suggested that most migratory butterflies are those that belong to semi-arid areas where
breeding seasons are short. The life-histories of their host plants also influence the strategies of the
butterflies.

Defense

 The wings of a butterfly become increasingly damaged as it ages, and do not repair. Butterflies are
threatened in their early stages by parasitoids and in all stages by predators, diseases and
environmental factors. They protect themselves by a variety of means.

Chemical defenses are widespread and are mostly based on chemicals of plant origin. In many cases
the plants themselves evolved these toxic substances as protection against herbivores. Butterflies
have evolved mechanisms to sequester these plant toxins and use them instead in their own
defense. These defense mechanisms are effective only if they are also well advertised and this has
led to the evolution of bright colours in unpalatable butterflies. This signal may be mimicked by
other butterflies. These mimetic forms are usually restricted to the females.

Eyespots on the hind wing of this butterfly are part of the animal's defense

Cryptic coloration is found in many butterflies. Some like the oak leaf butterfly are remarkable
imitations of leaves. As caterpillars, many defend themselves by freezing and appearing like sticks
or branches. Some papilionid caterpillars resemble bird dropping in their early instars. Some
caterpillars have hairs and bristly structures that provide protection while others are gregarious and
form dense aggregations. Some species also form associations with ants and gain their protection.

Behavioural defenses include perching and wing positions to avoid being conspicuous.

Eyespots and tails are found in many lycaenid butterflies and these divert the attention of predators
from the more vital head region. An alternative theory is that these cause ambush predators such
as spiders to approach from the wrong end and allow for early visual detection.

A butterfly's hind wings are thought to allow the butterfly to take, swift, tight turns to evade
predators.
Symbolism

According to the “Butterflies” chapter in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio
Hearn, a butterfly is seen as the personification of a person's soul; whether they be living, dying, or
already dead. One Japanese superstition says that if a butterfly enters your guestroom and perches
behind the bamboo screen, the person whom you most love is coming to see you. However, large
numbers of butterflies are viewed as bad omens. When Taira no Masakado was secretly preparing
for his famous revolt, there appeared in Kyoto so vast a swarm of butterflies that the people were
frightened — -thinking the apparition to be a portent of coming evil.

The Ancient Greek word for "butterfly" is ψυχή (psȳchē), which primarily means "soul", "mind".

According to Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion, some of the Nagas of Manipur trace their
ancestry from a butterfly.

In Chinese culture two butterflies flying together are a symbol of love. Also a famous Chinese folk
story called Butterfly Lovers. The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly
flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realized it was just a dream, he
thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly
who dreams about being a man?“

In some old cultures, butterflies also symbolize rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for
a period of time.

Jose Rizal delivered a speech in 1884 in a banquet and mentioned "the Oriental chrysalis ... is about
to leave its cocoon" comparing the emergence of a "new Philippines" with that of butterfly
metamorphosis. He has also often used the butterfly imagery in his poems and other writings to
express the Spanish Colonial Filipinos' longing for liberty. Much later, in a letter to Ferdinand
Blumentritt, Rizal compared his life in exile to a weary butterfly with sun-burnt wings.

Technological inspiration

Researches on the wing structure of Palawan Birdwing butterflies led to new wide wingspan kite
and aircraft designs.

Studies on the reflection and scattering of light by the scales on wings of swallowtail butterflies led
to the innovation of more efficient light-emitting diodes.

The structural coloration of butterflies is inspiring nanotechnology research to produce paints that
do not use toxic pigments and in the development of new display technologies. Furthermore, the
discoloration and health of butterflies in butterfly farms, is now being studied for use as indicators
of air quality in several cities.
Butterfly conservation

Butterflies are the most attractive than most other insects. They have been referred to as ‘flagships’
and ‘honorary birds’. They are valuable pollinators when they move from plant to plant gathering
nectar. Butterflies are one of the important food chain components of the birds, reptiles, spiders
and predatory insects . They are also good indicators of environmental quality as they are sensitive
to the changes in the environment. They are good candidate materials for the study of genetics,
insect-plant interactions and co-evolution.

Threats to butterflies

Threat to butterflies largely arises from the human exploitation of forestry, agriculture and other
resources. These threats include succession overgrowing of fields, pastures and grasslands,
agricultural practices , urbanization , over grazing, change in climate , air pollution , ditching and
draining of wet forests , swamps and bogs in the forest landscape , forest plantation practices such
as cutting of broad leaved forests and plantations of conifers , monoculture of tea , coffee and
other commercial crops, over collection, cutting of bushes and trees along edges of fields and
grasslands , opening forests for non- forest activities such as mining , road laying and industrial
activities , and clearing large forest areas for construction of dams . All these activities have put
enormous pressure on the wild life including butterflies.

Conservation

The great richness of the butterfly’s species in the tropics, together with extensive and accelerating
loss of tropical habitat, such as rain forest warrants taking up of butterfly conservation immediately
in our country.

Butterfly habitat protection should be giving the first priority in any conservation programmed.
Attempts should be made to initiate conservation of butterflies in the national parks and
sanctuaries. Research effort should be stepped up to gather basic information on the biology and
ecology of all butterflies in any area as these are lacking in most cases. It will provide a sound basis
for effective management programmes.

Butterfly collection should be regulated. While doing so, a distinction should be made between
personal and commercial collecting. Suitable criteria should be evolving to know whether collecting
causes any change to butterfly populations as butterflies vary widely in their susceptibility to
collecting. Not all butterflies are at risk uniformly due to collection. Weak – flying, conspicuous,
sedentary species are much more at risk than active, inconspicuous, agile ones. So tolerant, but not
different, attitudes towards collecting should be fostered and emphasis should be given to
photography, butterfly watching, scientific recording and other non-destructive activities. Dealers
should be licensed to trade only in species that are common and not threatened.The endangered
/rare species of butterflies can be suitably cultured and released back into the environment through
butterfly farming and butterfly ranching .These are also useful for educating the public, research
activities and commercial purposes.
Conservation butterflies can be made more effective by involving all in the conservation movement.
Conservationists should attempt to use the prestige of national entomological societies more
effectively. These societies have large memberships with a wide range of interest and expertise.
Help may also be sought from the international organization like the Lepidoptera Specialist group of
the world Conservation union’s (IUCN) special survival commission. This group is mainly concerned
with conservation in the tropics. National insect’s conservation bodies may also be established in
our country. Non- government bodies such as the (IUCN) the world wide fund for the nature
(WWF), the Bombay natural history society, Ornithological societies and nature clubs also be
involved.

Butterfly conservation efforts such as teethed with suitable legislation are only one aspect of
conservation but it has achieved greater importance in several countries. The aim of legislation
should be to conserve the butterflies while placing the minimum of necessary restrictions on study
and enjoyment. Greater attention should be given to ‘endangered species ‘rather than to protected
one as the former are more at risk. Greater use could also be made of the Conservation on
Wetlands of International Importance especially as wild fowl habitat

A special effort should be put in to using the Ramsar Convention for butterfly conservation in our
country. Strict and effective implementation of the Conservation on International Trade in
Endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will help in checking the illegal butterfly trade.
The wildlife protection Act 1972 of India has enough provisions for conservation of natural
resources including butterflies. Under the Act, nearly 120 species and sub –species of butterflies
and moths are in schedule 1 and nearly 292 species and sub-species are in the Schedule 2. Among
Indian butterflies, the kiser-1-Hind, Teinopalpus imperialis found in the north east from Sikkim
eastwards is the rarest and is listed in the Red Data Book: Threatned Swallotail Butterflies of the
World. The Bhutan Glory Bhutanitis Lidderdalei is also listed in the Red Data Book. Red data books
for Indian butterflies may be prepared as resource materials.

Butterfly conservation depends not just on commited conservationists, scientists and teachers put
on an informed and interested public. Butterflies even though forming a conspicuous part of
nature, have virtually no practical use to man unlike other plants and animals. Despite the stiking
appearance, their diversity of shape and color and their co-existance with human habitats, the
world of butterflies is not classified linguistically. It is rare for a culture to have more than one word
to describe all the variation species of Lepidoptera. It describes only the flight of butterflies
/Lepidoptera. People also are aware of the metamorphosis of butterflies as many people in several
countries associate butterflies with the souls of the dead, new plant growth, the heat of fire, the
light of the sun and relevant sacrificial rites. So our interest in the magical world of butterflies and
moths does not focus upon their diversity of form and color.

So efforts should be made to change the people’s perception of butterfly from a cultural object to
the common resource through education.
Butterfly Conservatory, Vienna
Project: Butterfly Conservatory, Vienna.

Size: 128 meters long

Built: 1822, renovated in 1901

Architect: Friedrich Ohman

 Hofburg palace is located in the middle of Vienna .

 In 1822 a 128 meter long greenhouse was erected, in the Hofburg palace gardens,
incorporating part of the old city wall.
 In 1901 the architect Friedrich Ohman was commissioned to build the splendid Jugendstil
palmhouse which stands on the site today, which replaced the original structure.
 The 2050 sqm. Building houses plants used to decorate official functions, one of Viennas
most popular restaurants and the tropical butterfly house

Following the restoration of the Hofburg's elegant glass greenhouses, an indoor/outdoor restaurant
was established along with an exquisite butterfly house with free-flying butterflies of many species
flitting amongst flowers and greenery.

The glass greenhouses sit overlooking the English gardens of the Hofburg.

The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment like screening installations, heating, cooling, and
lighting and may be automatically controlled by a computer.
The Butterfly House, St. Louis.

 The Butterfly House, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
 The Butterfly Conservatory Park is an indoor living environment which has been carefully
designed for the propagation and development of some of nature’s most colorful living
creations.
 Size: 8,000 sq.ft conservatory, 8,500 sq.ft education center
Status: Completed 1998
 To plan for the integration of the Butterfly House into Faust Park, Christener developed a
park Master Plan. The plan allows for the creative continuation of the present park facilities,
including the 1904 World's Fair carousel.
 The orientation of the building is to the south to maximize solar collection through the
laminated insulating glass panels that clad the structure.
 The atrium area is maintained at a temperature of approximately 80 degrees, considered
ideal for meeting the warmth requirements of the butterflies
 A distinctive feature reminiscent of Victorian greenhouses, the curved roof minimizes the
chance of butterflies (which cannot fly backwards) getting caught in corners.
 Covering the interior glass, a layer of clear, nylon mesh keeps the butterflies' delicate wings
away from the humid surface of the enclosing glass.
Tropical flowering plants provide essential elements of suitable habitats for the butterflies, which
are on display year-round.

The building systems create the warm, high-humidity environment required by the butterflies and
tropical plants. Placed atop the center vault, a mechanically controlled ridge vent system releases
hot air during the summer.

Structural elements above the display area and gift shop echo the butterfly wing shapes of the
conservatory. Nearby display areas include both permanent and temporary displays for educational
purposes.

An outdoor butterfly garden (added in a later phase) expands opportunities for special events.

 The curvilinear forms of the roof/ dome minimizes the chance of butterflies (which cannot
fly backwards) getting caught in corners.

 The orientation of the building is to the south to maximize solar collection through the
laminated insulating glass panels that clad the structure.

 The atrium area is maintained at a temperature of approximately 80 degrees, considered

ideal for meeting the warmth requirements of the butterflies

 Covering the interior glass, a layer of clear, nylon mesh keeps the butterflies' delicate wings
away from the humid surface of the enclosing glass.

 The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment like screening installations, heating,
cooling, and lighting and may be automatically controlled by a computer. Placed atop the
center vault, a mechanically controlled ridge vent system releases hot air during the
summer.
Butterfly World, Florida
Project: Butterfly World, Florida
Size: 27 acres
Status: scheduled 2011
Architect: Chrysalis Architects
Both simple and elegant, the dome will be set into the existing slope of the site, echoing the
contours of the landscape. With an overall height of 17 meters and a 100 meters diameter, the
largely transparent structure will emerge from the ground, resembling a giant bubble swelling up
through the flower-studded hillside.

The shell-like carapace will occupy a vast 7,850 square metres and will comprise translucent foil
pillows in a lightweight aluminum framed structure. The system is designed to minimize materials
and maintenance and maximize translucence, allowing the greatest transmission of light. This is
now a tried and tested formula for such exhibitions, and has similarities to the system successfully
employed by the Eden Project.
The tropical dome is designed to represent a perfect mix of function and beauty and we hope it will
become an iconic landmark for conservation.
 BUTTERFLY WORLD is designed to be great fun, very exciting and
an inspiring place for the paying public to visit – especially children. But beneath its compelling,
entertaining style lies a set of deeply serious aims and objectives.

We believe that butterfly world will become the world’s leading dedicated butterfly centre: a focus
for conservation issues, for cutting-edge scientific research and – above all – a valuable educational
experience for schools, colleges, community groups and families.
Whilst doing so, it will have the added benefits of:
• being financially self-sustaining, supporting itself through ticket sales and special events, and thus
making no demands on Britain’s public and charitable funding sources

• generating substantial financial surpluses every year which will be deployed in numerous ways,
and to numerous organizations, that address allied aims and objectives.
 
• providing a regenerating, life-enhancing resource to local community groups of all kinds by
offering free use of facilities to a network of community partners.

Butterfly World Project Limited heartily welcomes support, suggestions and donations - both
financial and ‘in kind’ - each one of which will help us bring to fruition this enriching and valuable
project.

Sir David Attenborough is leading a support group for the project, which will be 300ft wide and be
home to 10,000 tropical butterflies. It has been designed by Chrysalis Architects, an architecture
and design practice, which has been uniquely formed to meet the requirements of the Butterfly
World project.

The scheme, which will be built just off the M25 near St Albans, will open in stages between June
1009 and March 2011. So far J Breheny Contractors Ltd and HS Jackson & Son (Fencing) Ltd have
provided initial enabling work

The house will take the form of a walk-through dome, set to attract one million visitors a year.
Almost half of these are estimated to be children.

The project was initiated as an attempt to counter the decline of butterfly species. Botanist David
Bellamy said: “Every kid in the world has butterflies living near them, and from this starting point
we make kids think about what’s happening on a world scale.”