Texas boasts a number of butterfly gardens to explore when you are looking for a nature walk, an educational experience or a peaceful place for contemplation. Look for Monarch Butterfly exhibits when planning a butterfly adventure in Texas, as much of the state is fortunate to be in the path of Monarch Butterfly migration. Some butterfly gardens operate seasonally or close due to weather events, so always call ahead of your visit to make sure the garden or exhibit is open.
Butterflies abound at the Texas Discovery gardens in Dallas. The Texas Discovery Gardens Butterfly Habitat is an outdoor garden and certified butterfly habit that includes butterfly-attracting plants and flowers to showcase butterflies in a natural setting and inspire butterfly gardeners. The Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium is an indoor butterfly house located in the Gardens. Wind your way down through the two-level butterfly house to see 500 to 1,000 tropical butterflies daily.
Texas Discovery Gardens Fair Park
3601 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75210
214-428-7476
texasdiscoverygardens.org
The Ruby N. Priddy Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, part of the River Bend Nature Center in Wichita Falls, Texas, is a 7,000-square-foot indoor butterfly house that features butterflies living among native plants. The facility has an indoor pond and exhibits plant and animal life native to the Panhandle Plains region near the Oklahoma border.
Ruby N. Priddy Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
River Bend Nature Center
2200 3rd Street
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
940-767-0843
Walk through the Doug Blachly Butterfly Trail and Garden, part of the Austin Area Garden Center-Zilker Botanical Garden, to see species of native plants and flowers attracting butterflies. Stroll, hike or take a guided tour, but keep an eye out for Monarchs in the fall, as the garden sits in the Central Flyway for fall migration.
Doug Blachly Butterfly Trail and Garden
Austin Area Garden Center-Zilker Botanical Garden
2220 Barton Springs Rd.
Austin, TX 78746
512-477-8672
zilkergarden.org
The Butterfly Haus at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas, is located on a working wildflower farm open to the public. The 3,000-square-foot butterfly house hosts native butterflies among butterfly-attracting plants and flowers.
Butterfly Haus at Wildseed Farms
100 Legacy Drive
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
800-848-0078
wildseedfarms.com
The San Antonio Zoo’s Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School is a tropical habitat featuring hundreds of butterflies from among 15 to 20 butterfly species. The exhibit is open seasonally, March through November.
Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School
San Antonio Zoo
3903 N. St. Mary’s Street
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-734-7184
Take a walk in the rainforest at the Cockerell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Tropical plants and a 50-foot waterfall form the habitat for 1,500-2,000 butterflies daily that represent more than 100 species of tropical and exotic butterflies.
Cockerell Butterfly Center
Houston Museum of Natural Science
1 Herman Circle Drive
Houston, TX 77030
713-639-4678
hmns.org
