Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House opened Dec. 26, 1998. Our goal in creating this 4,000 square foot exhibit was to build an immersive exhibit that would provide a glimpse into a part of the world very unlike Seattle -- a warm, sunny place where colorful butterflies are active 365 days a year. Seattle skies do not provide the light necessary for tropical species to thrive. Supplemental heat, light, and humidity are provided to sustain a tropical ecosystem among the cool, grey, drizzly days of the Pacific Northwest.

We import about 500 tropical butterflies weekly, from South and Central America, Africa, and Asia. Our butterflies are responsibly raised in sustainable rainforest farms. We are proud to participate in the positive economic, cultural, and environmental impacts butterfly farming makes throughout the world.