Papiliorama, Butterfly house in Kerzers, Switzerland
Papiliorama is a facility with three large domes housing more than 1000 butterflies in tropical settings. Visitors can observe the insects at different life stages and watch their behaviors up close at feeding stations throughout the space.
The facility was founded in 1988 focused on butterfly observation. The Nocturama section was added later, where artificial darkness allows visitors to see nocturnal animals during the day.
The name Papiliorama comes from Latin papilio, meaning butterfly. The Swiss Butterfly Garden, opened in 2004, is a 500 m² aviary with dry meadows and dry grasslands where over ten native species fly in summer and breed on site. The Jungle Trek, opened in March 2007, replicates Belize's Shipstern Reserve, a 400 km² area protected by the foundation since 1989.
The location in Kerzers is accessible by public transport, with parking available on-site. Plan two to three hours to view all sections, as there is much to see throughout the domes.
The Nocturama's roof filters light to recreate full-moon night conditions, shifting the day-night cycle by twelve hours so visitors see species such as sloths, raccoons, bats, aardvarks and owl monkeys awake in daytime. The French source calls this greenhouse unique in the world.
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