Butterfly exhibit could take flight at Cosley Zoo

Visitors next summer at Cosley Zoo might feel the feather-light touch of butterflies as they walk though a new exhibit.

Staff members at the Wheaton zoo are discussing plans - thanks to a $50,000 donation - for a 3,100-square-foot live butterfly display that would be one of only four in the Chicago area.

Several obstacles stand in its way, though, including price. In addition to the $145,000 construction tab, it's estimated to cost about $43,000 to operate annually. Just the cost for new butterflies could run $1,200 per week.

Then there's the USDA license to contend with: the application process takes six to 12 months and the criteria is very stringent. The zoo would have to prove its facility wouldn't release any butterflies, and potential parasites, into the surrounding habitat.

But the popularity of such exhibits, combined with the donation, make it an idea worth pursuing, said Sue Wahlgren, zoo manager.

"It's another exhibit to educate people about native species, their plight and the habitat they need," Wahlgren said.

Wheaton Park District board members are set to discuss the proposal at their next workshop meeting Dec. 3. At least one member has asked why additional staff members are required when a similar exhibit in Geneva is run by volunteers.

That's a question staff said they'd explain at the next meeting when they make a full presentation.

Currently, there are three butterfly exhibits in the region: Brookfield Zoo, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Peck Farm in Geneva. The Geneva exhibit, though, is significantly smaller than what's suggested for Cosley.

Most likely, a new butterfly exhibit would be placed on the northernmost border of the property, where a seasonal exhibit for reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates now stands. It's a 136-foot-long stretch of sunny ground that was earmarked for a future river otter exhibit.

Wahlgren said those plans would either need to be shelved, or some other area on the property identified. But because the site is in direct sun, it's the one at the zoo best suited for butterflies' needs.

Once the exhibit's designed, the USDA permit process would start for the plant protection and quarantine. Because the exhibit will go through so many butterflies in 16 weeks there's a risk any incoming shipments could carry parasites.

"If a parasite got released it would be devastating to the local (butterfly) population," Wahlgren said.

And considering the zoo would need to add 300 pupae weekly to maintain a 500-butterfly exhibit, that's a lot of shipments. The butterfly life span is very short, she said, requiring ongoing replenishing.