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Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History Butterfly Exhibit

Wood Chips Removed Santa Maria Skate Park Reopens

Butterflies Alive!

Skaters returned to the reopened skate park at Fletcher Park in Santa Maria on Wednesday after being kept out of the facility since April.

We are so grateful for all the positive feedback from our members who have enjoyed our socially distant Butterfly Pavilion during our preview,” said Zsembik. “Weve been able to create a personal yet socially distant and safe experience for families to slow down and see an up close look at all the 14 species of butterflies inside.”

Santa Barbara Natural History Museum Brings Dinosaurs To Life With Prehistoric Forest

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has reopened its popular animatronic dinosaur exhibit.

After a prolonged shutdown during the regional stay-at-home order, guests can come back to the museum while traveling back in time with the Prehistoric Forest exhibit.

The dinosaurs made their debut back in the summer of 2019 and brought in a record-breaking number of guests to the Santa Barbara museum. When the exhibit closed, many museumgoers asked for the exhibit to return and Frank Hein, Director of Exhibits & Education, began negotiations to bring the dinosaurs back for good.

The dinosaurs returned on Jan. 18 and staff began installing the heavy animatronics into their exhibit while following new health and safety guidelines due to COVID-19.

  • Prehistoric Forest 2019
  • Museum Members Party 2019 – Prehistoric Forest & Butterflies Alive

Guests will see Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Parasaurolopus and Euoplocephalus placed carelfully by Exhibit Lead Francisco Lopez at the wooded area across Mission Creek.

The museum will be enforcing safety protocols due to COVID-19 including masks being required to enter, safe distancing, limited attendance and reservations being required. Indoor exhibits will remain closed.

Butterflies Alive Exhibit Is A Must

I live in Santa Barbara and I missed this exhibit the previous years, until today. If you have children this is a must and even if you don’t and love nature. You will enjoy Butterflies Alive.

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We enjoyed this museum, which is near the Old Mission. It would be easy to combine the two in a single day’s visit.We’ve been spoiled by some really amazing natural history museums . This one isn’t as big as those, but there’s a nice variety of well-done exhibits and, at least when we were there, it was substantially less crowded than the big museums.

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Noozhawk Asks: Whats Your Question

Welcome to Noozhawk Asks, a new feature in which you ask the questions, you help decide what Noozhawk investigates, and you work with us to find the answers.

Heres how it works: You share your questions with us in the nearby box. In some cases, we may work with you to find the answers. In others, we may ask you to vote on your top choices to help us narrow the scope. And well be regularly asking you for your feedback on a specific issue or topic.

We also expect to work together with the reader who asked the winning questions to find the answer together. Noozhawks objective is to come at questions from a place of curiosity and openness, and we believe a transparent collaboration is the key to achieve it.

The results of our investigation will be published here in this Noozhawk Asks section. Once or twice a month, we plan to do a review of what was asked and answered.

Thanks for asking!

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Butterflies Alive! Exhibit Opening

According to a museum spokeswoman, various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same.

Both indoor and outdoor exhibits will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday through Monday, Sept. 6.

Reservations are required for admission at sbnature.org/tickets, and a limited number of guests are permitted on campus at one time.

Face masks are currently required for anyone 3 years or older and must cover nose and mouth at all times while on museum property, both indoors and outdoors, the spokeswoman said.

To learn more, visit sbnature.org/butterflies-alive.

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature has reopened to the public and is featuring two new exhibitions Contemporary Meditations on Nature, on

Lisa André covers lifestyles and local news for Santa Ynez Valley News and Lompoc Record.

Recommended Reading: Cleveland Museum Of Natural History

Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History

In the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion

Walk through a beautiful garden while nearly 1,000 live butterflies flutter freely around you. The exhibit features a dazzling variety of butterflies, from local favorites to exotic tropical varieties. Learn about the life cycle and behavior of these spectacular invertebrates while observing them up close.

Built in 2018, the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion features plants butterflies love and comfortable spots to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Its swooping steel ribs mimic the curve of a butterflys wings, and its sandstone face was carefully constructed from local Santa Barbara rock. Visit our facility rentals page to learn about the Pavilion as an event venue.

The exhibit is included in Museum admission.

Butterflies Alive Exhibits To Reopen At Santa Barbara Natural History Museum May 29

  • Santa Ynez Valley News Staff Report
  • May 24, 2021

The Gulf fritillary is one of many types of butterflies that can be seen at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum Butterflies Alive summer exhibits.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s annual Butterflies Alive summer exhibits will reopen to the public Saturday after its indoor exhibits were closed last year due to the pandemic.

This year, guests can witness 1,000 live butterflies floating around the outdoor Sprague Butterfly Pavilion and also watch butterflies emerge from their chrysalides located inside the museum’s designated emergence chamber.

We are excited to invite members and guests back to our Butterfly Pavilion this summer,” said Butterfly Pavilion Senior Manager Kim Zsembik. “After so much positive feedback last year, weve kept our socially distant pavilion similar to 2020, allowing families and guests to peacefully explore the pavilion in nine butterfly zones. Guest favorites like malachite and swallowtail butterflies are not to be missed.”

A variety of butterflies that can be spotted include local favorites like the monarch and exotic swallowtails, longwings, Gulf fritillaries and malachites.

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Butterflies Alive Exhibit To Open

COURTESY PHOTOSThe white peacock is among the species at the Butterflies Alive! exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Featuring 1,000 live butterflies, the summer exhibit Butterflies Alive!

will open May 29 in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and continue through Sept. 6.

The museums indoor and outdoor exhibits are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Reservations are required for admission at sbnature.org/ticket.

The exhibit features a variety of butterflies, from local favorites like the Monarch to exotic varieties such as swallowtails, longwings, Gulf Fritillaries and Malachites. Various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same.

This Gulf fritillary butterfly is part of the exhibit.The exhibits species include the Eastern giant swallowtail.

Guests can see pavilion-bound butterflies emerge from their chrysalides in the Santa Barbara Gallerys emergence chamber. Those interested in more behind-the-scene peeks can check out the video series that followed last years butterflies from pupae to pavilion.

The full series hosted by Kim Zsembik, Butterfly Pavilion senior manager, is available at sbnature.org/magic-window and features, in addition to close-up views of every stage of the butterfly life cycle, guest appearances by the museums entomologist and a Q& A with Ms. Zsembik.

Butterfly Pavilion At Sb Museum Of Natural History Opens Memorial Day Weekend

Science Pub From Home: Humans and Mountain Lions in California

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is thrilled to announce the opening of its beloved summer exhibit Butterflies Alive! on Saturday, May 29 in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion. Featuring 1,000 live butterflies, the exhibit will be open through Monday, September 6. The Museums indoor and outdoor exhibits are open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and reservations are required for admission at sbnature.org/tickets.

One of the Museums most popular exhibits, Butterflies Alive! features a dazzling variety of butterflies, from local favorites like the Monarch to exotic varieties like swallowtails, longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, and Malachites. Various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same.

Beautiful flowers and foliage provide butterflies with plenty of nectar and roosting space. In this tranquil garden atmosphere, guests can discuss butterfly behavior and biology with trained volunteer interpreters. If the record number of people interested in joining the Butterflies Alive! volunteer team is anything to go by, the pavilion is going to be a particularly popular place this summer.

The Museum currently requires online reservations to limit the number of guests on campus at one time. Although face mask guidelines are quickly changing, face masks are currently required for anyone three years or older and must cover your nose and mouth at all times while on Museum property indoors and outdoors.

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Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History Butterfly Pavilion Emerges Memorial Day Weekend

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s summer exhibit Butterflies Alive! will open Saturday, May 29 in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion. Featuring 1,000 live butterflies, the exhibit runs through Monday, Sept. 6.

The museums indoor and outdoor exhibits are open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday reservations are required for admission at sbnature.org/tickets.

One of the museums most popular exhibits, Butterflies Alive! features a variety of butterflies, from local favorites like the Monarch to exotic types like swallowtails, longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, and Malachites. Various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same.

Beautiful flowers and foliage provide butterflies with nectar and roosting space. Guests can discuss butterfly behavior and biology with trained volunteer interpreters.

Last year, the museums indoor exhibits were closed during Butterflies Alive!, but this year, with indoor exhibits open concurrently, guests can see pavilion-bound butterflies emerge from their chrysalides in the Santa Barbara Gallerys emergence chamber.

+ Places To See Butterflies In Southern California

There are approximately 170 species of butterflies in Southern California. We are also lucky enough to live in a climate where we can watch and observe the Monarch Butterfly Migration Season. To our advantage, there are numerous parks, sanctuaries and nature playgrounds where the Monarch butterflies like to migrate to.

Every year adult Monarch Butterflies make massive migrations from August October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. In the wintertime in Southern California, butterflies like to roost in our trees and live in our open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides.

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Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History Pop Up Shops And New Exhibit

New Exhibit: Dinorama: Miniatures through the Mesozoic

This December the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will host a series of pop-up shops in its courtyard and the museum will host the land of the dinosaurs in a new outdoor exhibit called, “Dinorama: Miniatures through the Mesozoic”.

NEW EXHIBIT

In this exhibit playful miniature dioramas in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion bring the Mesozoic Era to life as you discover a variety of animals that lived in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods.

Learn more abut this exhibit at

ABOUT THE POP UP SHOPS

Plus the pop up shops featured each weekend will feature a different vendor from the beloved annual Folk & Tribal Arts Marketplace fundraiser. These pop-up shops will run FridaySunday, 10:00 AM5:00 PM. 25% of sales benefit Museum exhibits and programs.

Throughout December, a selection of beautiful items from many other favorite marketplace vendors will be on-site in the Museum Store, which is open WednesdaySunday, 10:00 AM5:00 PM. This selection of items will also be available through the new ONLINE STORE.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History online store offers a variety of carefully curated gifts, apparel, art books and supplies, stationery, drinkware, Museum publications, childrens books, non-fiction books, Dibblee Geologic Maps, puzzles and games, toys, and more. Items are available for local, contact-free curbside pick-up and domestic shipping.

Butterfly Garden At Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Location: 1500 Santa Barbara StreetPark Hours: Sunrise-10pm

Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden is located on the site that was once the elegant El Mirasol Hotel–the downtown Santa Barbara block often referred to as the “crown jewel” of city parks. In 1975, Alice Keck Park acquired the site and donated it anonymously to the City of Santa Barbara with the stipulation that it be designated as a park in perpetuity.

The park was formally dedicated to the people of Santa Barbara on May 13, 1980. It features a large botanical collection of 75 different tree and plant species, a koi pond, a sensory garden with audio posts and interpretive Braille signs, a low water-use demonstration garden, picnic areas, and a gazebo.

The vision of a Butterfly Garden at Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden began in 2005 by a team of UCCE Master Gardeners, including Bob Ledbetter, Helen Fowler, Donna Grubisic, and Lynn Kirby, in collaboration with the staff of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Working with Santos Escobar, Director of Santa Barbara City Parks and Recreation, they obtained the necessary approvals for the project and identified a suitable plot within the site. Landscape Architect Grant Castleberg helped them develop a garden design that incorporates nectar plants for butterflies and food plants for caterpillars.

Please feel free to stop and ask us questions anytime. Our workdays in the garden are the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 9:00-11:00 am.

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Natural History Museum Reopens Butterfly Pavilion

KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS About 1,000 butterflies are now flitting about in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural Historys seasonal Butterfly Pavilion, which reopened on Saturday.

Nearly 1,000 butterflies of various sizes, shapes and colors can be seen gliding through the air inside the Santa Barbara Natural History Museums Butterfly Pavilion, which made its long awaited return on Saturday.

Museum goers wandered through the beloved seasonal Butterflies Alive! exhibit on Saturday, stopping to admire the nine different species of delicate butterflies. Yellow and black spotted Malachite butterflies were seen perched on foliage throughout the exhibit, while the intricacies of the Painted Ladys wings could be admired even from afar. The pavilion, a fan favorite among regular museum visitors, will remain open through Sept. 6.

Kim Zsembik, the butterfly pavilion senior manager, said visitors who have seen the exhibit in the past may notice some new changes this year, including a new layout for the exhibit and even a few new species of butterflies.

A Common Buckeye butterfly species, left, and a Red Admiral butterfly perched on some foliage during Saturdays reopening of the Butterfly Pavilion.

To follow COVID-19 safety precautions, guests are phased into the exhibit every few minutes and the pavilion is split into nine sections. Guests get a few minutes at each section and move to the next phase at the sound of a bell every two to three minutes.

Where To See Monarch Butterflies In Southern California

THE INLAND EMPIRE / DESERT AREA

Butterflies Alive!, The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, Palm Springs

This butterfly exhibit is located inside the zoo with lush desert landscape.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The population of Monarchs here are most plentiful in November and December. The butterflies are located in the eucalyptus trees along the creek next to the campground.

You can specifically see the Monarch butterflies at the Big Sycamore Canyon, which is an autumn site.

ORANGE COUNTY

Norma Gibbs Park, Huntington Beach

The eucalyptus grove at Norma Gibbs Park is a monarch overwintering site. The park has pathways, picnic tables, and a 400 sq. ft. tile inlay of monarchs and text describing the story about the migrating monarchs. During spring and summer, many other butterflies inhabite the park. They also have an educational program and offer group tours.

MONTEREY / CARMEL / BIG SUR

Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur

Andrew Molera State Park is largest state park along the Big Sur coastline. Named after the man who brought the artichoke to California, Andrew Molera State Park also is the home of many historic structures, including the oldest building in Big Sur. Additional activities include visiting the discovery center, viewing butterflies, hiking, fishing, horseback riding and mountain biking trails.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Carmel

Monarch Grove Butterfly Sanctuary, Pacific Grove

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Presidio Park, San Diego

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

VENTURA COUNTY

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Outdoor Museums Open Their Doors

SB Museum of Natural Historys Outdoors Reopens to Public

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is delighted to open its outdoor areas to the public, including the popular Butterflies Alive! exhibit, starting July 8. The Museums new open hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM and online reservations are required for entry.

One of the Museums most popular exhibits, Butterflies Alive! features a dazzling variety of butterflies, from local favorites like the Monarch to exotic varieties like swallowtails, longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, and Malachites . Various butterfly species cycle through the pavilion throughout the summer, so no two visits are the same. Flowering plants and ample foliage provide butterflies with nectar and roosting space, while contributing to the tranquil garden atmosphere visitors enjoy.

In years past, Museum guests have watched chrysalides reared for the exhibit emerging as adult butterflies through a special window into the butterfly lab. While this indoor exhibit space is closed, the Museum is sharing behind-the-scenes views of the butterfly-raising process in videos on , , , and TikTok. In another effort to share that special process with the public during this unusual year, the Museums Butterfly Pavilion Manager Kim Zsembik has started the Instagram account featuring butterfly fun facts and views from the pavilion and lab.

To learn more or reserve tickets, visit sbnature.org.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Opens to Non-Members

Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History Casts Net For Butterfly Pavilion Volunteers

Santa Barbara Natural History Museum

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is looking for volunteers age 18 and older to help with its Butterflies Alive! summer exhibit, May 28-Sept. 6.

Butterfly Pavilion duty is a fun activity for people looking to re-enter public spaces and reboot their social lives. Summer volunteers make friends during their shifts, and many come back year after year to enjoy the experience.

Volunteers who commit to at least one three-hour shift per week will spend the summer surrounded by graceful, colorful butterflies, while safely sharing the experience with museum guests.

Volunteers learn about dozens of butterfly species and their importance to the environment. They impart that knowledge to Butterfly Pavilion guests, which in turn helps control the safe flow of people through the garden filled with nearly 1,000 butterflies.

Visitors will be encouraged by volunteers to stop by the emergence chamber in the Santa Barbara Gallery to see butterflies popping out of their chrysalides. Prospective volunteers can visit sbnature.org/volunteer for more information. To better serve its diverse audience, the museum wants volunteers from a variety of age groups and backgrounds. Bilingual English/Spanish volunteers are especially encouraged to apply.

Returning Museum of Natural History or Santa Barbara Sea Center volunteers can contact Rebecca Fagan Coulter at or 805-682-4711 ext. 107.

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