Due to the health crisis the Pollinator Garden is Open but the Butterfly House is Closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Walk among free-flying native butterflies* and other pollinators in the Tenafly Nature Center Butterfly House & Pollinator Garden. See if a butterfly will land on your nectar stick or just watch them fly around you as they move between nectar plants. Observe butterfly chrysalis in the chrysalis box. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see a butterfly emerge!

The Butterfly House is a 12' x 24' structure and is located outside near our pollinator garden. The butterfly house includes native species of LIVE butterflies and chrysalis, which vary by season and what is available from suppliers. Offering visitors a total immersion experience for the young and old as it introduces visitors to the wonders of metamorphosis. This seasonal exhibit showcases several beautifully colored butterflies sipping nectar and taking flight, offering guests the opportunity to better understand and appreciate their life cycle and importance to the ecosystem. While you are visiting you are welcome to chat with staff or volunteers, ask questions, or simply relax and enjoy the space while butterflies flit and fly about. 

Our pollinator garden is filled with host plants that naturally attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and along with a variety of other pollinators. You may even find a few ideas to try in your own garden!

Both areas are great settings for personal nature photography. Please note that while the butterfly house is not open during the off-season. The pollinator garden is accessible year-round; however, plant life and inhabitants vary seasonally.

Visitors are encouraged to show off pictures of their visit on social media using the #TNCButterfly #Tenaflynaturecenter

Interested in encouraging butterflies in your yard? This document lists nectar and host plants for NJ butterflies and moths.

*butterflies are less active when temperatures are cool (below 70 F) or if it is overcast and/or raining.