A blue wave butterfly, striped and dotted wings as it pauses between sips of nectar from a bright pink flower. (Gary Robinson photo)
A blue wave butterfly pauses between sips of nectar from a flower. (Gary Robinson photo)

Recently voted into the top three butterfly gardens in the nation by readers of USA Today, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sprague Butterfly Pavilion will reopen its annual Butterflies Alive! exhibit Saturday, May 24.

As the abundance of wild butterflies declines, museum staff and volunteers hope visitors come away with a meaningful message from the exhibit that boasts about 1,000 live butterflies.

Recent research by experts from around the U.S. shows a 22% decline in the total abundance of butterflies across the country, looking at 554 species tracked between 2000 and 2020, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) reports.

Kim Zsembik, SBMNH’s director of guest experience, said she is proud of running an exhibit that speaks to butterflies’ moment of critical need with a light and hopeful touch.

An orange, brown and white tiger longwing butterfly perches on the fiddlehead of a fern at the Sprague Butterfly Pavillion. (Courtesy photo).
An tiger longwing butterfly perches on a the fiddlehead of a fern at the Sprague Butterfly Pavillion. (Courtesy photo)

“Habitat loss is a key part of butterfly decline,” Zsembik said. “Our pavilion is an immersive habitat that can inspire everyone to protect wild habitats for butterflies everywhere, and create waystation habitats for migrating species like the Monarch.”

Zsembik has volunteered as a regional coordinator of Western Monarch Count, helping fellow community scientists locate Monarch overwintering sites, and estimate the number of butterflies found there.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed to list the Monarch as a threatened species for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

“Inside our exhibit, you can see how butterflies rely on the natural environment,” Zsembik said.

Although the butterflies that populate the exhibit are farm-raised, they engage in natural wild behaviors, so Sprague Butterfly Pavilion contains everything the two-dozen-plus species exhibited need to live comfortably, according to the museum.

“They all need to bask in the sun to keep warm,” Zsembik said. “Some species need flowers to feed on nectar, while others need rotting fruit.

“Males suck up minerals from mud puddles, for use in reproduction. And most of them roost, or rest, in the trees and shrubs here.”

“Seeing these behaviors up close, it’s easier to visualize how butterfly populations have been affected by habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change,” the museum said.

The only need not supported in the SBMNH self-contained habitat is host plants for the growth of caterpillars, since the exhibit is not permitted to breed butterflies. the museum explained.

To protect local wildlife and agriculture, the farm-raised butterflies must stay inside for the duration of their relatively brief lives.