The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has welcomed 1,000 winged insects for its annual Butterflies Alive! exhibit in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion.

The pavilion opened its doors to the public on May 23. It will remain open through Sept. 7.

This year, the exhibit is home to two dozen tropical butterfly species from Costa Rica, such as the bright Blue Morphos, the Spotted Giant Owls and the smaller Postman, among others.

According to the museum’s director of guest experience, Kim Zsembik, the museum works with farmers in Costa Rica to source and import the butterflies every year. 

“We choose Costa Rica because of the variety of colors, species and sizes they have,” said Zsembik, who has been in charge of the exhibit since 2018.

Upon entering the pavilion, guests are welcomed with butterflies flying around them or nestling in the greenery.    

The museum is only aware of what kind of butterflies are in the shipment a few days before they arrive, making it a surprise for both guests and staff.

Sometimes they receive a large number of butterflies from one species; this year, that was the Glasswing butterfly.

“What inspires me to continue this every year is to share the biodiversity in our world and introduce a new suite of insects that guests don’t know about,” Zsembik said.

“…The public notices we push ourselves to be more dynamic, so we feel new, but (also) familiar and exciting.”

Katherine Hickey, a special exhibits associate at Butterflies Alive!, is in charge of letting visitors in and out of the pavilion and ensuring that butterflies do not escape.

So far, she said the exhibition has been running smoothly, with only minor challenges.

“We get a lot of kids, especially toddlers, and so they can obviously be chaotic, but it’s just making sure that we communicate well with people and making sure that they know the rules. Most people are pretty good about it,” Hickey said. 

Informational signs with butterfly facts are displayed throughout the pavilion, educating guests about the insects’ behaviors.

A full guide to this year’s species can be seen here.

“I just want people to appreciate these beautiful insects and all of the insects that are around them,” Hickey said.

“I feel like butterflies get a lot of hype as being this beautiful creature that we see all of the time, but in reality, there’s so many more insects, and they all play such an important role in our environment,” she added.

Zsembik shares her sentiments, calling the exhibit a “warm, inviting place where I hope people can escape for a little bit and enjoy the company they’re with.”

“I hope they just leave feeling good,” she said.

Tickets to the exhibit will cost museum admission plus $3. Pavilion tickets are free for museum members. The pavilion’s late entry is 4:30 p.m.