Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter has announced invites visitors to a new butterfly exhibit. “Transform into caterpillars and journey through a butterfly’s fascinatinglifecycle at ‘Amazing Butterflies,'” the nature preserve said in a press release.The exhibit will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. from Jan. 18-May 4.Amazing Butterflies features a hands-on maze with larger-than-life leaves, grass and trees. Visitors will experience the challenges of being a caterpillar as it morphs into a butterfly and discover the ways caterpillars move, what they eat and how other creatures help them achieve their transformation, according to Swaner. “This interactive exhibit will transform your learning of butterflies in a fun and erngaging way! Visitors will leave inspired to discover more about the fascinating lives of caterpillars and butterflies in our local ecosystem,” said Swaner’s Visitor Experience Coordinator Brianna Cencak. Visitors begin the maze looking through eggs to see caterpillar friends climbing on leaves and beginning to feed. Families can learn to crawl like a caterpillar by slipping into a set of caterpillar legs and using teamwork and locomotion to sprint for the finish line, the preserve said. Visitors will discover why carpenter ants in Panama defend metalmark caterpillars from predators and feed a caterpillar its lunch through team games and contests.Once the transformation from pupa to butterfly is complete, kids can practice flapping giant butterfly wings while avoiding spider webs. The “Nectar Food Path Puzzle” and “Squeeze and Sniff” stations explain how butterflies find food by sight and smell. Children and adults can find a butterfly mate by creating a wacky dance and then learn how butterflies select a specific plant on which to lay their eggs.Visitors can mark their progress as a butterfly by stamping a souvenir garden card at eight stations before zooming out of the maze as a butterfly on “The Monarch Monorail!”“I love an opportunity for learning through play and this exhibit is all about it. Not only does the maze make for a fun challenge, but there are interactive elements at every turn to help guests experience the life cycle and challenges of being a butterfly,” said Swaner’s Director of Exhibits, Hunter Klingensmith. “We have been looking at these exhibits from Minotaur Mazes for a few years and I’m so excited to bring one to Park City.” Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter said it will pair the exhibition with additional programming to provide our community with ways to learn and engage with butterflies found in Utah, including butterfly-themed story times, a “Butterflies of Utah” display and a behind-the-scenes tour of the butterfly collections at the Natural History Museum of Utah.Regular entry for Amazing Butterflies is $7 for ages 3-64, $6 for those 65 and older or with a valid military ID and free for ages 0-2. Members of Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter receive free admission to the exhibit. Anyone can visit for free on Jan. 18, Feb. 20, March 14 and April 13 thanks to sponsors, the preserve said. The content in this exhibit is also available in Spanish. “Amazing Butterflies” is created by Minotaur Mazes, a worldwide leader in interactive educational maze exhibits, according to the preserve.The post Swaner EcoCenter unveils new butterfly exhibit appeared first on Park Record.