The
doorway into the National Zoo’s Pollinarium
exhibit draws visitors from the Invertebrate Exhibit into a verdant habitat painted by the
petals of heliconia, pentas, red salvia, blue porterweed,
and other flowering plants. Butterflies float by on wings that flutter lazily in the
silence.
Here, you will find several butterfly species—and may very well observe one emerging from its crysallis. Orange julias and zebra longwings are the most colorful and most easily spotted butterfly residents of the Invertebrate Exhibit’s Pollinarium.
The Pollinarium greenhouse demonstrates how pollination is an essential ecological process, critical to the interdependence of plants, animals, and humans and provides a window into the wonders of living organisms.
Butterfly Fact: Monarchs,
known for their long migrations, can fly up to 2,000 miles
between North and South America. During the summer months,
monarchs frequent the outdoor butterfly garden next to the
Pollinarium. 
more
A colony of bees lives in an enclosed hive with clear wall, which makes up-close bee-watching safe and easy. The intricate construction of their honeycomb is especially intriguing at this close distance.
The bees have access to the outdoors through a short cylindrical tunnel behind the hive.
Lots of activity is visible from the safety of the other side of the glass
The queen bee is larger than all the other bees, but can still often be difficult or impossible to see depending on where in the hive she is located.
If the queen's size isn't enough for you
to differentiate her from the crowd, the fact that she
always has attendants surrounding her may help you recognize
her.
