Butterflies at Chatfield Farms: A joint venture between Butterfly Pavilion and Denver Botanic Gardens

Butterflies at Chatfield Farms

By Mary Ann Colley, Vice President of Science and Conservation at Butterfly Pavilion

Spring has arrived and (when it’s not raining) plants and flowers are blooming everywhere in our gardens, parks and open spaces. With this spring bloom marks the opening of Butterflies at Chatfield Farms; our seasonal butterfly house home to hundreds of native Colorado butterflies such as Monarchs, Queens, Painted Ladies, Black Swallowtails, Red Admirals, and Clouded Sulphurs. There more than 50 indigenous plant species in this garden. The rest of the plants (about 20 species) were chosen for the nectar production for butterfly food and are not native species in Colorado. Butterflies at Chatfield Farms is presented through a partnership between Denver Botanic Gardens and Butterfly Pavilion and is now open for its sixth the season!

Butterflies at Chatfield Farms is a great collaboration between two Scientific Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) members. Each year, Butterfly Pavilion constructs a seasonal house at Denver Botanic Garden’s Chatfield Farms, a 700-acre native plant refuge and working farm located along the banks of Deer Creek in southern Jefferson County. While we put up the house, Chatfield Farms creates an immersive experience – planting local and tropical plants, creating a unique and beautiful habitat. Once the plants are settled, we release butterflies into their new home.

This house is in many ways is just like the butterfly house here at Butterfly Pavilion. We are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture USDA and must ensure that we are meeting all containment guidelines for animal and habitat welfare. What sets Butterflies at Chatfield Farms apart is its intimate and local feel. The house is surrounded by Chatfield Farm’s lush gardens and sits alongside their large lavender garden, where there are 19 varieties and over 2,000 lavender plants.

For a change of pace, travel south and visit Butterflies at Chatfield Farms. It is a truly unique experience where Butterfly Pavilion and Denver Botanic Gardens meet to create a fun and educational experience.

8500 W Deer Creek Canyon Road
Littleton, CO 80128
May 25 – Sept. 2, 2019
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Red Admiral on Verbena.

Family admiring a Red Admiral butterfly.

Julia Longwing on grass.

Zebra Longwing on Verbena.

Red Admiral butterfly landing on a guest.

Monarch on Pothos.

Mourning Cloak on Alyssum.