Butterfly exhibit at CSC is now open | Community Spirit

HICKORY - The butterflies are now fluttering, swirling and flying at Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory.

One of CSC’s most popular seasonal exhibits –Flutter-By Butterfly Habitat – opened to the public on Saturday.

Included in general CSC admission, cost is $6 for adults, $ 4 for youth (3 to 18) and $4 for seniors (62+), college students and active military with ID. Admission is free for CSC members and children under 3.

A spring and summertime favorite, the Flutter-By offers visitors an exhilarating and up-close look at a variety of live, native and semi-tropical butterflies and moths.

Set in a sweetly-scented flower garden with a circulating stream, the Flutter-By transforms the outdoor science courtyard into a temporary habitat for Monarchs, Queens, Orange Sulphurs, Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Swallowtails, Luna Moths, Cecropias and more.

Visit the Naturalist Center on Thursdays at 3 p.m. and watch as CSC staff members mount butterfly chrysalides and moth cocoons for incubation in the Flutter-By butterfly nursery. Learn the differences between a chrysalis and a cocoon, as well as the different stages of the butterfly/moth life cycle, or metamorphosis.