Butterflies Are Blooming — Meijer Gardens

Butterflies are flying again at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, where the annual tropical butterfly exhibit runs through April 30. (meijergardens.org) The 2026 show is the 31st year of Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming, staged inside the five-story Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. Meijer Gardens says it is the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States. (meijergardens.org) Meijer Gardens says more than 10,000 butterfly chrysalides arrive each season from tropical regions around the world and are raised by its horticulture team before release. New butterflies emerge weekly, so the mix changes over the course of the month. (meijergardens.org) The exhibit is running daily from March 1 through April 30, which puts it squarely in this week’s and this weekend’s statewide event listings from Pure Michigan. Michigan.org lists dates including Thursday, April 23, through Sunday, April 26, as part of the event run. (michigan.org) The butterfly show is one of the museum’s biggest spring draws because it turns a Michigan conservatory into a warm tropical habitat before outdoor gardens fully peak. Meijer Gardens describes the experience as a walk-through environment with free-flying butterflies all around visitors. (meijergardens.org) The setting is part of a larger 158-acre campus that combines indoor and outdoor gardens with sculpture galleries and a children’s garden. Michigan.org describes Frederik Meijer Gardens as home to the largest tropical conservatory in Michigan. (michigan.org) The calendar around the exhibit includes butterfly-themed add-ons, including “Tuesday Night Lights with Butterflies” on April 21 and “Spring Nights: Flights & Flutter featuring Short’s Brewing” on April 28. Meijer Gardens also listed member early hours on April 19 and a workshop called “Wings in Bloom: A Garden Apron Workshop” on April 26. (meijergardens.org) For visitors heading to Grand Rapids before the month ends, the window is short: April 30 is the final day Meijer Gardens lists for the 2026 butterfly season. (meijergardens.org)