Winter 2023 in the Butterfly Rainforest – Exhibits

The museum is open regular hours, including Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Surprisingly, the cooler days of winter offer a perfect opportunity to see the butterflies the Butterfly Rainforest. While wandering through the lush jungle, our exhibit keeper Ingrith spotted many species of butterflies enjoying the ripe fruit of a monstera plant.

many butterflies around a monstera fruit — Butterflies enjoying ripe monstera fruit. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

The cool days are a great time to photograph our butterflies! They often sit with their wings open as they bask in the sunshine to warm themselves up. Tropical butterflies don’t like to start flying until temperatures reach about 65 degrees or so.

We host many types of butterflies in the exhibit and it’s okay if you can’t tell them apart. We have an ID guide to help you figure out which of our residents you took a photo of!

butterfly with long black wings each with a wide red stripe.

Postman butterfly. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

black red and white butterfly

Scarlet Mormon, Papilio rumanzovia. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

blue and black butterfly with its wings open

Prola Beauty, Panacea prola. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

black and blue0grey butterfly with its wings open

Great Mormon, Papilio memnon. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

two black and orange butterflies with their wings open

Postman butterflies. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

black, blue, and white butterfly with its wings open

Tropical blue wave butterfly. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

black, red and white butterfly with its wings open

There are several species of Postman butterflies in the Butterfly Rainforest. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

butterfly with brown wings that look like a dried leaf.

Tiger leafwing, Consul fabius. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

cluster of purple flowers and a tan and white winged butterfly

Cruiser, Vindula dejone, have a wingspan of 2.5 to 3.2 inches. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

Don’t forget to check out the streams! We have large, brightly colors fish and you may spot the turtles along be stream banks too.

Many thanks to Ingrith for sharing her daily photos with us.

several large fish in the stream as well as two turtles along the stream bank

Fish and turtles in the Butterfly Rainforest. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

small red bird sitting on a stick above a stream

Fire finch. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

yellow bird sitting on the red stems of a Ti plant

Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

cluster of air plants, each a different shade of green

Epiphyte clusters. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

row of red flowers

Sancheezia flower after a rain. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

small white flower at the end of a stem

Malochia flowers. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

cluster of green stems

Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

long green, tan, and pink leaves

Hawaiian ti. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

cluster of yellow flowers

Farfugium flowers. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

wide green striped leaves

Geogenanthus poeppigii. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez

yellow and red orchid flower

Yellow boat orchid. Florida Museum photo by Ingrith Martinez