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Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

DESCRIPTION:  The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is a glass conservatory where visitors can see thousands of butterflies in free flight and watch the process of metamorphosis. The landscaped grounds of the Butterfly House offer the opportunity to see native butterflies in a natural environment. The facility also offers classes and educational programs that increase public knowledge of the world of butterflies.

ADDRESS:  15193 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO  63017

LOCATION: St. Louis County's Faust Park in West St. Louis County

PHONE:  636-530-0076

WEB SITE:  http://www.butterflyhouse.org/ and http://www.butterflyschool.org/

GETTING THERE:  From Downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 to the Clarkson/Olive Exit 19B.  Turn right on Olive and continue approximately one mile.  Faust Park is on the left hand side.

HOURS: Memorial Day to Labor Day, open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.  For the remainder of the year, open 9 a.m. - 4 pm.  Closed Mondays except Columbus Day, President's Day and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The last ticket is sold a half an hour before closing.

SUMMER HOURS: Memorial Day to Labor Day, daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The last ticket is sold half an hour before closing.

ADMISSION:  $6, adults; $4.50, seniors; $4, children, 4-12; free, 3 and under. Group rates are available.

ANNUAL ATTENDANCE:  150,000

WHAT'S NEW: The "Small Wonders" exhibit explores the world of terrestrial invertebrates living in deserts, grasslands and rainforests. It is the largest animal exhibit at the Butterfly House, with 13 living displays containing hundreds of insects and other arthropods in natural settings.

The "Arachnids" exhibit focuses on the many eight-legged animals of the Arachnid order, which contains over 70,000 species including spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, whipscorpions and others. The exhibit made possible by Pulaski Bank.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The Butterfly House is designed in a shape reminiscent of butterfly wings and overlooks a small lake.

  • The entry plaza to the Butterfly House features butterfly-shaped paving stones, many of which are inscribed with personal messages, tributes and memorials signifying gifts from families and individuals.

  • Outside the building two playful sculptures by St. Louis artist Bob Cassilly (creator of City Museum) greet visitors. One sculpture, an enormous Monarch butterfly, seems to hover. The other sculpture, located among plants native to Missouri, which offer nectar to the butterflies they attract, is a 30-foot long caterpillar.

  • The Emerson Theater provides an inspiring orientation of the life cycle of butterflies and a preview of the wonder to come.

  • In the 8,000 square foot glass conservatory, visitors thrill at the sight of more than a thousand exquisite butterflies from all over the world - as many as 60 different species - in free flight. Visitors can walk through a re-creation of a rainforest environment sprinkled with exotic, flowering tropical plants.

  • The "backyard" Butterfly Garden at the Butterfly House offers native habitat where visitors learn how to attract butterflies to their own homes and neighborhoods.

  • Outreach programs designed for groups of all ages are entitled "The World According to Insects," "A-Maze-Ing Cockroaches," "Story of a Butterfly," and "Butterfly Biology."  The Butterfly House can also tailor a program specifically for your group.

  • The exhibit hallway offers a glimpse of the world's butterfly diversity in the "Butterflies of the World Exhibit. 

  • Formal and informal classes for people of all ages are taught in the Lopata Learning Lab.

  • The Emerson Lakeside Pavilion and Terrace can be rented for private wedding ceremonies, receptions, parties and corporate events.  The red-bricked, lakeside terrace with 3,000 sq. ft. covered pavilion space is graced by lovely trees lining the lake's edge.  The Emerson Lakeside Terrace is bordered by the stunning Butterfly Garden, meandering paths, a babbling brook, waterfall and reflecting pond.  Sprinkled throughout the gardens are lighted torches, the sounds of nature and unique statuary and benches. Call (636) 733-2339 for more information on private rentals.

WHAT'S COOL:  Visitors can experience the magical moment when butterflies from around the world emerge from chrysalides in the Miracle of Metamorphosis display.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS:  The Butterfly House is a magnet for children who are enthralled at how they can interact with the butterflies in the conservatory. Children are also intrigued watching butterflies emerge from their chrysalides. The Butterfly House also holds a variety of craft sessions and other special events for children throughout the year.

ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: The Butterfly House hosts several family-friendly activities, including the tropical "Hot, Hot, Hot" in January; Mother's Day Brunch in May; Father's Day event in June; "Bootterflies" in October; and special craft-making sessions throughout the year.  Every even year the Butterfly House also sponsors Wing Ding, a major fundraiser for the Butterfly House. The black tie event is held in the fall.

HISTORY: Evelyn Newman, a St. Louis philanthropist, and her husband visited their first butterfly house in Thailand several years ago. Mrs. Newman was captivated by the concept and then visited butterfly houses in other places. She decided that a butterfly house would be a good addition to St. Louis so she raised private funds to construct the conservatory. The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House opened in September of 1998. At the time that it opened, the Butterfly House was one of only nine such permanent exhibits in the country. The Butterfly House became a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2001.

The Butterfly House is named for Sophia M. Sachs, wife of the late Sam Sachs who founded Sachs Electric and played a key role in the early development of the Chesterfield area of St. Louis where the Butterfly House is located.

The Butterfly House is located in the 200-acre Faust Park which was originally Thornhill Farm owned by Missouri's second governor, Frederick Bates. At the turn of the 20th century the estate was purchased by the Faust family a family prominent in St. Louis history. For many years it was the home of Leicester Busch Faust, grandson of Adolphus Busch and Tony Faust, and his wife Mary, a descendent of Pierre Laclede, founder of St. Louis. In 1968, the Fausts donated 98 acres of the farm including the original Bates house to St. Louis County, which turned it into Faust Park. In 1997, the remainder of the estate was added to the park. Visitors can still visit Missouri's second governor's home when it is open on special occasions or by appointment.

Also in the park is St. Louis Carousel, a vintage carousel with 60 hand-carved animals and a historic village, a re-creation using structures from 19th century St. Louis County.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS:  The Butterfly House is handicapped accessible.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH:  Restaurants are located in nearby Chesterfield Mall, along Clarkson Road and throughout the nearby Chesterfield Valley.

GIFT SHOP:  Madame Butterfly, the gift shop at the Butterfly House, carries unique gifts, educational toys, unusual merchandise, items with a butterfly motif, books and gardening items.

WHAT'S NEARBY:  Also in Faust County Park are the St. Louis Carousel and a pioneer village consisting of several historic homes.  Nearby is Chesterfield Mall, and five miles west is the St. Louis Aviation Museum.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Joe Norton, (636) 530-0076 ext. 11, joe.norton@mobot.org; Missouri Botanical Garden PR Dept., (314) 577-0254 or (314) 577-5141; karen.hagenow@mobot.org or lisa.brandon@mobot.org. 


                                                                                           Updated:  January 15, 2008

 

 

Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com