Lost River Cave’s Butterfly Habitat set to open May 23

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – It may be called the Lost River Cave, but the butterflies have found their way back. Starting Friday, the seasonal butterfly habitat returns to the popular tourist attraction.

“It is an interactive experience for all ages,” said Erin Hogan, the curator for the Butterfly Habitat. “It’s completely free. It is a learning opportunity to understand metamorphosis and the role that pollinators play in the ecosystem and the importance of them.”

Since 1997, the butterfly habitat has welcomed at thousands of guests, both human and insect. The exhibit opens Memorial Day weekend and will flutter through until Labor Day. And this year, butterflies are making their way from as far as Michigan to call Bowling Green home for the summer.

“We have introduced more native plants and more host plants, so that means that there’s going to be more reproduction of our butterfly so that we’ll have a larger population of butterflies in here this year,” Hogan said.

She also said how it’s always exciting to bring something engaging and free to the community.

But butterflies aren’t the only attraction at the habitat. It also features a variety of plants, helping guests learn about the environment while enjoying the beauty of nature.

“Without the milkweed plant, monarch butterflies cannot reproduce,” Hogan said. “Here we provide an opportunity for education of the importance of milkweed and host plants.”

The Butterfly Habitat will be open until Labor Day weekend.