It’s a familiar family scenario. Kiddo comes in from the backyard, beaming. “Look what I found!” Held in those cute little chubby hands is some sort of “treasure,” often of the wiggling-creepy- crawly variety.
For kids who love to explore insects, there’s no better place than the Butterfly Pavilion.
In its Crawl-A-See-‘Em exhibit, for instance, visitors can view beetles, spiders, scorpions and even a Madagascar hissing cockroach.
Feeling bold? Brave families can take turns holding Rosie, a Chilean rosehair tarantula who serves as the exhibit’s friendly mascot.
Even those who may not share a child’s fascination with bugs will appreciate the vibrant butterflies in the tropical conservatory. More than 1,200 of the fluttering beauties inhabit the 7,000- square-foot rain-forest display, complete with meandering paths and lush gardens.
Families looking for hands-on learning opportunities also can participate in ongoing workshops. These have included a bug safari, where kids learned to track down and identify Colorado insects, and a build-your-own terrarium workshop, which taught children about insect feeding and habitats.
Today the Butterfly Pavilion hosts a “Worm and Dirt” workshop where kids and parents can literally dig in and get their hands dirty. Parent/child teams will get a guided tour of the gardens. Kids will learn about different types of soil and study everything from rocks and clay to roly-polys, beetles and worms.
After the outdoor-exploration time, kids and parents head inside to build their own small “worm bin.”
“It’s a starter bin as part of the vermicomposting technique, with worms,” says Marcos Stoltzfus, youth programs coordinator.
Unlike a traditional compost bin, this method saves space and time, is less attractive to fruit flies and other pests, and decreases odors. “The worms do most of the work,” Stoltzfus says.
The result: an excellent source of organic fertilizer, a great way to recycle veggie scraps and newspapers and a fun family project.
Although advance registration was required for today’s event, the Butterfly Pavilion typically hosts six family workshops throughout the year.
Next up will be the “Bug Bites” workshop in October. Not for the faint of heart, this program’s menu includes chocolate-covered crickets and dry- roasted mealworms.
“We look at which bugs are eaten in different places and cultures around the world,” Stoltzfus says. “And also at which bugs eat people.”
“Bug Bites” was a hit last year, and Stoltzfus reports that nearly all the kids braved the chocolate crickets.
“It really just tastes like chocolate with a crunch,” he says. “It’s always the parents who are the squeamish ones.”
Butterfly Pavilion
Where: 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Admission: $7.95 for adults, $4.95 for children 2-12 and free for kids under 2 with adult
Details: To register for upcoming family workshops, classes, school group tours and other special events, go to , or call 303-469-5441
