For Immediate Release                                

Media contact: Barb DeGroot, 952-443-1459                                                                                                

Arboretum Butterfly Exhibit Takes Flight May 17           
Chanhassen, MN (Jan. 23, 2014) - Who doesn't delight in seeing a butterfly in flight?  There's something truly magical in watching those boldly patterned wings beating rhythmically as the creature flits from flower to flower, gracefully performing the life-sustaining task of pollination.

Visitors to the Arboretum will have an opportunity to view the wonder of butterflies upclose and personal when the exhibit "Butterflies: Beauty in Flight" opens May 17 and continues through Aug. 17 in the Arboretum's Meyer-Deats Conservatory.  Located in the Snyder Building, the conservatory will be filled with live butterflies that are native to Minnesota, as well as common plants that sustain these pollinators.      

Additional features include an "emergence cabinet" showing the insects in the pupa (chrysalis) stage as they transition into butterflies, as well as signage on their life cycle.  Look for butterfly-friendly "pollinator plantings" in containers and gardens. Also planned are special butterfly releases on certain days during the exhibit and Tamron Lenses will sponsor a butterfly photo "treasure hunt" with interpretive signage providing photo tips for capturing close-up butterfly images.

The exhibit entry fee will be $3 for ages 3 and up; free for kids 2 and under. (Arboretum members will receive free one-time passes.) Arboretum gate admission applies. Exhibit hours will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (last entry at 4:45 p.m.) and, due the nature of the exhibit, only a limited number of people will be allowed entry at a given time and no strollers please. 

Presenting sponsor of "Butterflies: Beauty in Flights" is C.H. Robinson with support from Tamron, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Park Dental, Syngenta and Park Nicollet Frauenshuh Cancer Center.   –The End-