Blue River Butterfly Gardens

The stunning beauty of the exotic Costa Rica butterflies found at Blue River Butterfly Gardens is both delightful and educational.

The exotic Costa Rica butterflies fly about among the beautiful gardens, feeding, mating and laying eggs. Watch adult female butterflies ovipositing eggs on a host plant. Notice a tiny clump of gregarious larvae (caterpillars) devouring a leaf. Arrive during the morning to see butterflies emerge from the racks of pupae. Experienced guides will explain and let you touch the legs of butterflies and the scales on their wings. Benches are set up to relax and observe the spectacular colors of these fragile beings.

Our display center showcases pupae and displays the butterfly life cycle. We also operate a butterfly farm that successfully breeds many species in-house including Morpho, Siprueta Esterlene and Danaus Plexippus.

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You'll notice specific plants used inside the butterfly garden and other food laid out for the butterflies to eat. It is said they can detect smell from miles away. Just outside the butterfly gardens notice the plants with branches surrounded by bags made of netting. These plants are intentionally grown to attract the female caterpillar, which are later brought inside the butterfly farm as pupae. The caterpillars' extremely good sense of smell is important because they will lay their eggs on the specific plant(s). To attract the male butterfly, host-plant gardens are also necessary. The males are always on the lookout for females.