Original Butterfly House News

The Discovery of The Vampire Moth

Posted on October 31st, 2017

Like something out of a horror movie, a moth that sucks and drinks the blood of it’s victims In 2008, Vampire moths were discovered in Siberia. The moth, when being studied by an entomologist, was experimentally offered a human hand. The moth drilled it’s tongue through the skin and started drink… Read More

Butterfly Migration Update!

Posted on October 8th, 2017

Fascinating news!! On October 3rd the Painted Lady Migration was detected by the National Weather Service! There were so many Painted Ladies on the move that the Denver weather radar has detected their movements. They appeared on the radar as various colors of yellows, purples, greens, blues and reds. The sw… Read More

HERBERT IS ALL GROWN UP!

Posted on September 26th, 2017

Very exciting news everyone!!! Herbert, our Malaysian Dead Leaf Praying Mantis has officially reached adulthood! After shedding the last of his baby skin, H… Read More

Butterfly of the Week – The Blue Morpho

Posted on August 20th, 2017

The Blue Morpho is definitely the fan favorite, it’s stunning iridescent wings are sure to catch your attention. The Blue Morpho is not only gorgeous but it has also been extremely helpful in preventing counterfeiting when it comes to the US Dollar. First, a brief run-down of the Morpho life cycl… Read More

Play Cups vs. Queen Cups

Posted on August 17th, 2017

We had an interesting learning experience the other day, we noticed that there were some queen cells forming in the beehive.
Now this was slightly alarming to us, because queen cells indicate that either 1. The hive is over crowded and they are preparing to swarm (see First Beehive split of 2017) 2. Something is… Read More

New Guinea Birdwing!! FINALLY!

Posted on August 10th, 2017

Very exciting news!!! For the first time in three years, the New Guinea Birdwing has arrived! Ornithoptera priamus is found in New Guinea, Northern Australia and in the Moluccas: Indonesian Islands. We have been eagerly awaiting their return to the butterfly house. The New Guinea birdwing is still widely sp… Read More

First Beehive Split of 2017

Posted on July 25th, 2017

Great news everyone! The Bees are doing wonderfully, in fact We just completed our first split Saturday night. We knew it was time for a split because our population was growing very quickly and the frames inside of the hive were nearly filled with larva or pupating bees (that’s when the larva starts to tr… Read More

USA Today Travel — Top Bucket List Destination in Michigan

Posted on July 15th, 2017

Super Exciting News!! USA Today Travel has voted that Mackinac Island and The Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House and Insect World has been voted the top Bucket List Desination in Michigan!! We are thrilled to have gotten this shout out and we can’t wait for many more years of adventure! Che… Read More

Upcoming Events

Posted on June 15th, 2017

Lilac Festival and Parade This week marks the 69th Annual Lilac Festival. There are daily events ranging from A walk with Lilacs, a walking tour revealing the history of Mackinac Island, and a free outdoor playground with blow up slides and obstacle courses. Other events include a taste of Mackinac, involvin… Read More

Insects In The News – The Giant Weta

Posted on June 8th, 2017

The Giant Weta Hits The Headlines of Science Magazine New Zealand has been working in earnest to revive the struggling population of a native insect called the Weta, translated to mean “The God of Ugly Things”. The Weta looks like a version of our North American cricket, but with one huge di… Read More

Miss Michigan!

Posted on June 3rd, 2017

We had Miss Michigan visit us in the Butterfly House!!!!! Arianna Quan! … Read More

Meeka Mondays!

Posted on May 25th, 2017

Even though it’s raining on the island the butterfly house is buzzing with activity! We are thrilled to announce that we are going to start a new tradition on Instagram. In addition to #falcorefriday we will be starting up a #meekamonday, make sure to check out @theoriginalmibh to see the new and crazy adventur… Read More