The other day the husband told me that he was taking me on a surprise trip. He said that it had been too long since we had done anything I considered fun – we have different definitions of the word as I am sure any married couple can attest. I had no idea where we were headed but we ended up at the Magic Wings Butterfly Garden and Conservatory in South Deerfield, Massachusettes.
Sometimes a surprise is just what you need and and I had a lovely time walking around the large, indoor space watching the butterflies flit about. There were so many of them! All different sizes and colors. In reading the history page on the Magic Wings website I learned that the site opened in October of 2000 and it consists of an 18,400-square foot facility that includes a 8,000-sq. ft. glass filled conservatory with butterflies, moths and tropical vegetation.
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory
He wouldn’t tell me a thing about where we were going and I really don’t know the geography up here so I had no clue what might be in store. It wasn’t until we pulled into the parking lot that I discovered what I was in for and I admit that I was quite excited!
I had read and seen stories about butterfly conservatories and they looked like fun places to visit. Now I can share with you that they are! Everywhere we walked there were butterflies and moths flitting all around us. The colors on many of them were so very vibrant! I cannot identify them – I am sorry, all I can do is tell you how beautiful they were. Even the ones that weren’t as bright at the one above were beautiful in their own way.
Beautiful Plants and Some Animals Too!
In addition to all of the glorious butterflies there were also some surprises like this bright green parrot. He was sitting quite regally on his perch staring out until I went to take his photo. Then he got all shy with me.
There were also some really adorable partridge like birds running around on the ground. They were white, tan, and variations of brown. I never saw them fly so I don’t know if they couldn’t or if their wings were clipped. Either way they were adorable.
Butterflies are the Stars
The myriad butterflies are definitely the stars of the show though – that is why everyone was there. In these times you are asked to be masked if you are not vaccinated and they are relying on an honor system for this. Most of the people we saw were wearing masks and I suspect that like us, they did it out of an abundance of caution as we are fully vaxxed and yet we still wore our masks.
I am the first person to scream when anything with more than 4 legs enters my line of sight but there is something about butterflies that makes them seem less like bugs and more like magic.
The husband even had a hitchhiker for a good portion of our stay in the conservatory. You are strictly instructed to not touch the butterflies so we just let this one stay on his shoulder for as long as it wanted. I would say it was there for close to half an hour. Then as silently as it landed, it left.
So Many Beautiful Flowers Too
In addition to the glorious butterflies there were beautiful flowers everywhere you looked. Hibiscus were in bloom all over the place. These are favorites of mine as I fell in love with them when we visited Hawaii on vacation.
I also found this red rope flower absolutely fascinating. No idea what it is called but it sure is striking, isn’t it? There were bromiliads in bloom throughout as well but I was trying to stay far away from them as I am allergic.
So I just found some more hibiscus to enjoy. There were so many beautiful colors there. I also saw azaleas, lily of the valley and bougainvillea. It was a tropical flower lovers dreamscape.
Fun Facts
The butterfly conservatory is a fun place to visit but you can also hold special events there – like a wedding! To make a loving day even more special check out these fun tidbits:
- 80 degrees inside year ’round
- heart shaped koi pond at center
- 3,000+ butterflies flitting about inside
- outdoor butterfly garden for seasonal viewing
- tips to plant your own butterfly garden
How To Get There
281 Greenfield Road (Routes 5 & 10)
(2.5 miles North of Yankee Candle – 2 miles South of Historic Deerfield)
South Deerfield, MA 01373
(413) 665-2805
info@magicwings.net
Located off Interstate 91, on Routes 5 & 10, the picturesque five-and-one-half acres are nestled
in the historic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, between Yankee Candle and Historic Deerfield.
