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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Monarch butterfly sitting on a pink flower.
Second Floor | Experience

Butterfly Pavilion

Permanent
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A yellow moth specimen.

Hours and Prices

Regular Hours for Butterfly Pavilion:
Open Sunday through Friday
Closed Saturday

First timed entry: 10:15 a.m.
Last timed entry: 4:00 p.m.

Closed: December 25

Ticket Prices for Butterfly Pavilion:
Adults (13-59): $8.00
Seniors (60+): $7.00
Children (2 to 12): $7.00
Tuesdays: Free
NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES.

Timed entry tickets are required for the Butterfly Pavilion, including Free Tuesdays. Tuesday tickets are available only onsite at the Butterfly Ticket Desk.

No group pricing or group sales available
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Did you know?

There are about 300 butterflies in the Pavilion.

A Tropical Oasis

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Stroll among butterflies & beautiful blooming plants in this tropical oasis. Butterflies fly freely around the Pavilion, landing on plants and sometimes people.

The Butterfly Pavilion is a brightly lit climate-controlled environment kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 percent humidity, making it the ideal home for hundreds of butterflies.

Tickets can be purchased online or in person. All tickets are for a specific entry time beginning at 10:15 a.m. & ending at 4:00 p.m. Get ticket information (PDF).

The Butterfly Pavilion is wheelchair accessible.

A blue and black Blue Morpho butterfly and two red, orange, and black monarch butterflies

Butterflies that May Flutter by You

Morpho polyphemus, a pale yellow butterfly with yellow and black eye spots on its wings
White Morpho (Morpho polyphemus)
Catonephele mexicana, a black butterfly with a yellow stripe on its wings, male
Mexican Shoemaker (Catonephele mexicana)
Heliconius melpomene, a black, orange, and white butterfly sitting on a green leaf
Postman Butterfly (Heliconius melpomene)
Papilio ophidicephalus - a black and yellow butterfly on a pink flower
Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio ophidicephalus)
Colobura dirce, a pale yellow and black butterfly with its wings closed
Zebra Mosaic (Colobura dirce)
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Did you know?

The Pavilion showcases butterflies from the U.S., Mexico, Central & South America, Africa, India, China, and Southeast Asia.

Identification Guide

Get a one-page identification guide to the eight butterflies commonly found in the Pavilion.

Pictures of tops and bottoms of eight butterflies commonly found in the Butterfly Pavilion.

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Students examine Museum collection objects as part of a Q?rius school program. Photo by Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian.
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