Butterflies Are Blooming at Meijer Gardens

Frederik Meijer Gardens’ live butterfly show is running now in Grand Rapids, with thousands of butterflies flying inside its tropical conservatory through April 30. (meijergardens.org) The exhibition is called Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming, and Meijer Gardens says 2026 is its 31st year. The show is staged inside the five-story Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. (meijergardens.org) Meijer Gardens says the exhibition is the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States. Experience Grand Rapids says visitors can see more than 60 species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. (meijergardens.org) (experiencegr.com) The show changes over the season because new butterflies keep emerging. Meijer Gardens says more than 10,000 butterfly chrysalides arrive from tropical regions around the world and are raised by its horticulture team before release. (meijergardens.org) That setup turns a West Michigan spring outing into a warm indoor exhibit at a time when outdoor gardens are still early in the season. Meijer Gardens describes the conservatory experience as a tropical environment with butterflies flying freely around guests. (meijergardens.org) The event is included with general admission, and Michigan’s tourism listing points visitors to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park at 1000 East Beltline Avenue Northeast in Grand Rapids. The state listing shows dates continuing daily through Wednesday, April 30, 2026. (michigan.org) The run this year is longer than the dates in the prompt: Meijer Gardens and Michigan’s event listing both show the 2026 exhibition running from March 1 through April 30, not April 20 through April 30. As of Thursday, April 23, 2026, the exhibit is already underway and has one week left. (meijergardens.org) (michigan.org) For visitors deciding whether to go now or wait, Meijer Gardens says each visit can look different because new butterflies emerge weekly. The exhibition closes April 30. (meijergardens.org)