A walk through the Butterfly Garden

A caterpillar

Welcome in Sayn, join us on a tour through the Sayn Butterfly Garden!

You begin your tour by walking through a climate control entrance (daytime temperature approx. 26° C, humidity 60-70%).

Now, please turn right and view the display cases. The first con- tains butterfly pupae (chrysalis), which are sent to Sayn once a week by our breeders in Costa Rica, the Philippines or Madagas-car. The chrysalis often look like dry leaves or pieces of wood, but they are in fact alive. Inside the pupae (chrysalis) the complete transformation (metamorphosis) from caterpillar to butterfly takes place. If you are lucky you may see a butterfly emerging from a pupa. This usually happens in the morning. The chrysalis splits apart so that the adult insect can begin to force its way out. Following this, the butterfly rests for a moment and then pumps “blood” through the veins into it’s wings which causes the wings to expand to their full size. Next, the wings must dry and the butterfly must exercise the flight muscles before it can fly. About half an hour later it is ready to be released by our biologist into its new habitat. In the adjacent display cases you can see various small animals such as tarantulas and scorpions.

Let’s continue to the first little bridge, which is called Filippa Bridge. It is named after the second daughter of Prince Alexander and Princess Gabriela zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, owners of the garden. The other six bridges are named after the other children of the family, Alexandra, Sofia, Louis, Heinrich, Casimir and Christian-Peter.

Interested children

Instead of crossing Filippa Bridge, you can also reach the slightly elevated Sofia Bridge via the “jungle path”. There you will find a feeding place which offers fruit as additional nourishment for the butterflies, especially for the owl butterfly. The main source of nourishment for butterflies, however, is nectar. In our house you will see several Lantana camara and Hibiscus bushes. Both are important nectar-producing plants. Butterflies sip nectar through their long proboscis which they can insert into the deep tube of a flower. From Alexandra Bridge you can observe the Japanese Koi carps in the water and the turtles on their small Turtle Islands. Following the path to the right, you pass the hibiscus hedge. Look out: you may encounter a quail family with its tiny chicks no bigger than a bumble bee. Immediately after hatching and drying, the young quail follow their parents, chirping and cheeping loudly whilst looking for food. However, they still need to be warmed by their parents for about two weeks.

From Sofia Bridge you can enjoy a view of the entire garden. Listen to the twittering of finches from Australia, Asia and Africa. In the display cases next to Sofia Bridge you will see various insects and other "creepy-crawlies". Just like butterflies, these creatures have developed special survival techniques. Some of them are so well camouflaged that you have to look very closely to discover them.

Now enter another conservatory, the caterpillar and moth house. There you will find various moths, amongst them the Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas), one of the world's largest species with a wing-span of up to 30cm. Do you know the main difference between butterflies and moths? Most butterflies fly by day and most moths are active during the night. This glass house not only houses moths, but it is also the nursery where we breed butterflies. Here you have the opportunity to observe the entire life-cycle of the butterfly.

Back to the big greenhouse, you turn right. Crossing Louis Bridge, you reach the south side of the house, where on sunny days the butterflies enjoy dancing in the sun. On your right you see a waterfall surrounded by orchids, melias and ferns. Here our Green Iguana likes to hide. Through the arch you reach the benches. Resting quietly, you can observe the busy life around you. The banana plant opposite bears delicious fruit every year. A bit further on, the orchid path takes you to the Christian-Peter Bridge, which is the only covered bridge in the butterfly house. Now you can turn right and cross Filippa Bridge to reach the exit or you can continue and stay with the butterflies a little longer. There is still so much to see!

Butterfly

In our Butterfly Boutique, souvenirs and interesting literature can be purchased. Refreshments are available in the Cafeteria. Afterwards you may wish to stroll along our nature trail around the butterfly house. Discover the little herb garden, the cottage garden, the meadow, the dry stone wall, the fruit-bearing hedge and the flowering hedge. The path leads you to a small bridge from where you can watch the animals in the pond. At various points along the route you may find information concerning the habitat of native butterflies. Perhaps this will be of use for the design of your own garden. Our biologists will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

In our pavilion we show videos and exhibitions concerning all aspects of butterfly life. Our program changes regularly during the season Thank you for visiting Sayn Butterfly Garden! Now you are invited to visit the Sayn Palace, where among other attractions you will find an Ornamental Cast Iron Museum and the chapel with its important reliquary of Saint Elizabeth. If you present our entrance ticket, admission is free for you.

We do hope you have enjoyed your visit in Sayn and hope to see you again!