Butterflies Go Free runs from Feb. 17 to April 25 at the Montreal Botanical Gardens.

For a brief break from the winter blahs, head to Butterflies Go Free at the Montreal Botanical Garden. It’s a tropical oasis that’s worth a visit, even if the visit typically lasts under an hour with young kids.

The Botanical Garden’s main greenhouse is heated up to 29 degrees, filled with tropical plants and flowers, and incredibly colourful butterflies from countries including Costa Rica, Indonesia and Ecuador. Some have wing spans that are close to the size of your hand, showing flashes of electric blue or green as they flutter by. It’s magic to watch them glide into the nearest hibiscus for a snack, then take off again.

Welcome to the jungle

The greenhouse circuit doesn’t take long to walk, so take off your coat and go slowly. You may not have a choice – it can get very crowded in there. On the lower level, there are child-friendly presentations about the life cycle of a butterfly – our five-year-old was definitely listening and learning on our last visit (the 2.5-year-old, not so much).

Children age four and up will definitely get more out of the experience than younger children; on a visit when our first son was two, he wasn’t interested for more than five minutes. At five, he had fun spotting the various species among the leaves, and borrowed the camera to snap lots of pictures himself.

We spent about 20 minutes with the butterflies, then went to explore the rest of the greenhouses. As lovely as the flowers and plants are to adults, they don’t hold kids’ interest at all. Ours did have fun chasing each other through a tunnel in the orchid area. I don’t think that’s what the Botanical Garden staff has in mind, though, so we kaiboshed it (before security came along).

Game plan

• If you’re visiting Butterflies Go Free with a child age 2 and under, they may not be interested for long, and it may not be worth paying $30 to visit (approximate cost for 2 adults, one child age 2 to 4, plus parking). Your call.
• Since the visit will be short, consider going in the late-morning and tying it in with lunch at the Botanical Garden restaurant. The kids will also enjoy the Botanical Garden gift shop, which has some great toys and games; yes, they will probably ask you to buy them something.
• Let kids know that the butterflies may land on them (especially if they’re wearing red), but not to touch the butterflies.
• Older kids may enjoy bringing a magnifying glass or binoculars with them, or getting to borrow the camera for a while.
• Bring a stroller for kids age two and under (you can also rent one there).
• Note that the Montreal Insectarium, on the same grounds as the Botanical Gardens, is closed for renovations until summer 2011. Also, the mini-train is not running.

Have you taken the kids to Butterflies Go Free? How did it go?

Butterflies Go Free
Schedule: Feb. 17 to April 25, 2011, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday (open Monday, Feb. 27 and March 7 and April 25).
Location: Montreal Botanical Garden, 4101 Sherbrooke St. E. (Pie-X metro)
Cost: Adults $12, age 5 to 17, $6, age 2 to 4, $2. *Entry rates have been reduced slightly to accomodate for the closure of the Insectarium.
Parking: $5 for first hour, $10 per day.
Telephone: 514-872-1400

Video courtesy of BalconygardenerTV.

Main image courtesy of alainpicard.us.

Related posts:

1. Guided Tour: The Great Pumpkin Ball and more at Montreal Botanical Gardens
2. This Just In: Biodôme and Insectarium Closed Indefinitely
3. This Just In: The Biodôme Reopens

If you’ve never been to the Insectarium, which is located next to the Montreal Botanical Gardens, it’s a good indoor outing for children around age three and up.

There is an amazing variety of live insects, including some astoundingly large and long-legged ones (thankfully separated from visitors in glass enclosures). On our last visit, our 5-year-old was just at the right age to really appreciate the insects; the 2-year-old was intermittently interested, but followed along.

Special activities for the Insectarium open house include:

• Insect tastings: Yes, you can try eating various insects at 9:15, 10:15, 11:15, then at 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15.  (15 minutes)
• Bug Bites: Solve special mysteries in the Diversity Room at 9:30, 10:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. (5 minutes)
• Atta Ants: You get to see leaf-cutter ants as they harvest leaves and work in their garden, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (15 minutes)

If you find your children don’t last long at the Insectarium, you could take them to the nearby Biodome, for the Caillou Discovers Winter event (on till Feb. 14).

By the way, the popular Butterflies Go Free event at the Montreal Botanical Garden – where tropical butterflies take over one of the greenhouses – goes from Feb. 17 to April 25, 2010.

The Insectarium
Address: 4581 Sherbrooke St. E. (View map)
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/insectarium/en/index.php?section=1&intParent=1
Telephone: 514-872-1400

Related posts:

1. This Just In: Open House at Local Farms
2. Guided Tour: The Insectarium’s BuzzGround