News Release

May 20, 2010

Contact: Sondra Katzen
Public Relations
708.688.8351
sondra.katzen@czs.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Note: Images of Brookfield Zoo’s Butterflies! and Stingray Bay may be downloaded at www.CZS.org/pressroom.

Summer Fun Awaits Guests at Brookfield Zoo’s Popular Seasonal Exhibits
Butterflies! and Stingray Bay Opening Soon

      Brookfield, IL— Guests will flutter with excitement and enjoy some rays this summer at Brookfield Zoo’s Butterflies! and Stingray Bay exhibits, opening Saturday, May 22, and Saturday, May 29, respectively.

Butterflies!
Open daily during regular zoo hours through mid-September (weather permitting), the screened-in, landscaped exhibit houses up to 35 species of brilliantly colored butterflies during the summer. The butterflies are all native to North America and include tiger swallowtails, painted ladies, monarchs, red admirals, variegated fritillaries, and mourning cloaks. Each week during the summer, hundreds of these natural beauties emerge from their chrysalises into the exhibit, where they are closely monitored by zoo staff. When the butterflies are ready to take flight, keepers release them—infusing a rainbow of colors into the exhibit. Butterflies! also features a window into the “pupa room,” where guests can view the transformation of these creatures from pupa to caterpillar to butterfly.

This year, the temporary exhibit received a renovation of plant material. The zoo’s horticultural team did research to find some new plants that not only provide optimal nectar opportunities for the winged wonders but also enhance the beauty of the exhibit by providing a variety of colors at different times throughout the season. New additions to the exhibit include callistemon, butterfly weed, spiraea, different varieties of coneflowers, Joe pye weed, buttercup shrub, and lavender, to name a few. Plant material is labeled to offer an interpretive experience to zoo guests in hopes that they will be inspired to reproduce their own butterfly garden at home.

Zoo staff and volunteers will also be on hand to answer questions, and they may even have a caterpillar or moth cocoon for guests to view.

Adjacent to the exhibit is a gift shop featuring items such as flower seed packets, butterfly nectar, and butterfly houses, which can be used to attract these magnificent creatures to visitors’ own backyards. The shop also has a wide range of decorative and functional items for both indoor and outdoor environments, such as wind chimes and windsocks to beautify any garden.

The price of admission to Butterflies! is $4 for adults and $2 for children and seniors 65 and older.

Stingray Bay
Located on Brookfield Zoo’s East Mall, Stingray Bay invites guests of all ages to get up close with more than 40 cownose rays housed in a 16,000-gallon saltwater touch pool. The stingrays’ home is a landscaped pool complete with its own waterfall. The lagoon is less than two feet deep and measures about 25 feet by 55 feet, allowing guests to gain access and touch the stingrays while still providing a center area where the animals can rest.

“Rays are incredible creatures and they make for a fun, hands-on, educational family experience,” said Andre Copeland, interpretive programs manager for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the zoo. “At Brookfield Zoo, we provide a safe and interactive experience that allows guests to see and touch these amazing creatures.”
To ensure the safety of visitors, caretakers who carefully monitor the stingray exhibit also trim the animals’ barbs—the whiplike tail parts that can sting—in a painless process that is similar to trimming human fingernails. In addition, zoo staff are available to answer guests’ questions, explain how rays live, and demonstrate the best ways to touch them.

In addition to the rays, Stingray Bay also focuses on sustainable seafood and provides guests with information on how to make choices that promote an abundance of healthy wildlife at markets or restaurants.

“Since we encourage our guests to make informed, environmentally friendly decisions, it’s important that we equip people with both the knowledge and steps necessary to contribute to realistic sustainability goals,” Copeland said.
Admission to Stingray Bay is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 3 to 11 and seniors 65 and older.

Celebrating its 75th year, the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, inspires conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service.

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