Idlewild Butterfly Farm is a USDA-certified insectarium and butterfly farm located in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky. As a privately-owned business, we not only function as a butterfly farm and insectarium but also serve as an educational destination and a retail store. Our mission is centered around promoting butterfly habitat cultivation, sustainable agricultural practices, and biological alternatives to chemical pest control.

At Idlewild Butterfly Farm, our expert staff of entomologists breeds and rears our own stock of regional native butterflies for exhibits in zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories across the United States. In addition, we offer butterflies to our local customers for educational purposes at home and in the classroom. However, our commitment extends beyond butterflies.

Our USDA-approved insectarium houses a stunning collection of live native and exotic insects from around the world, which visitors can tour by appointment. We believe that insects are a remarkable way to spark excitement and wonder for our planet and science. We provide educational opportunities both on-site and at remote locations and develop programs and curricula.

Ensuring the future of our planet is important to us, and we actively contribute to this cause. We provide plants and resources to increase sustainable native butterfly habitat and have initiated the Re-wilding Louisville initiative, which creates butterfly gardens at no cost throughout the city. The plants we sell are free from harmful insecticides and grown with the use of beneficial insects.

Additionally, our historic storefront in Old Louisville houses our curated gift shop, featuring a range of products from American small businesses and fair-trade imports. Our collection includes butterfly wing jewelry, preserved insect specimens, home goods, children's books and toys, and unique gifts. Butterfly farming is similar to livestock farming, where our livestock consists of tiny creatures.

We rear butterflies in a controlled environment, providing them with human attention and care to produce beautiful and healthy butterflies. Just like any other farm, our butterflies are available for live exhibits, educational kits, or to be released at special events. Our butterfly farm is where butterflies in zoos, conservatories, and classrooms come from.

Our butterflies begin their journey as caterpillars in our USDA containment facility known as the insect lab. Caterpillars are hand-reared daily for an average of 3-5 weeks before they pupate and transform into butterfly pupae, also known as chrysalises. These pupae are displayed while they await their transformation into mature butterflies.

Once they emerge as mature butterflies, they either go to zoos, exhibits, special events, or our on-site butterfly flight house. Inside the flight house, visitors can witness the butterflies in action, enjoying the nectar from flowers and going through the process of mating and laying eggs. Our flight house serves as a place for reproduction rather than just display, and it reflects the different stages of the natural life cycle and is influenced by weather conditions throughout the year.

For those wishing to visit us, our address is 1100 Logan Street, Louisville, KY 40204. You can also contact us at (502) 384-8953 or send an email to info@idlewildbutterflyfarm. com.

We invite you to join our newsletter list to stay informed, and you can sign up on our website. Our operating hours are Fridays from 12 pm to 4 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. We look forward to sharing the enchanting world of butterflies and insects with you!