Butterfly exhibit returns to Santa Barbara Museum

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – A summertime tradition has returned to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: the exhibit "Butterflies Alive!" opened its doors to the community on Saturday.

The museum welcomes guests to walk through the garden exhibit where nearly 1,000 live butterflies of different species flutter around them.

Director of Guest Experience Kim Zsembik said "We are excited to welcome these species from Costa Rica for the first time to Butterflies Alive! We know guests will be awed when witnessing the Blue Morpho take flight. It’s a must-see!"

The museum said that for the first time, this exhibit will feature more than a dozen colorful tropical species from Costa Rica, as well as species such as the Blue Morpho, Giant Owl, Tiger Longwing, Blue-frosted Banner and more.

Local favorites that will also be in the exhibit include the species Malachite, Julia Longwing, Gulf Fritillary, Common Buckeye and Eastern Giant Swallowtail, according to the museum.

Furthermore, the museum mentioned that various butterfly species cycle through the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion during the summer, so no two visits will be the same.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here to visit the museum's website.