All of our animals other than insects are rescues, donations, or adoptions. We do not purchase animals from the exotic pet trade, nor do we reproduce any. In our view, the world does not need anymore captive tropical animals that are difficult to care for properly and have the potential to live for many decades.

Prior to accepting an animal into our gardens, we follow an in-depth set of credentials to ensure the continued success, safety, and well-being of our existing population.

Historically, we have mainly imported most of our butterfly stock from Costa Rica and Asia. We are now reproducing a good portion of certain species on site by growing host plants in the gardens.

Increasing our butterfly population decreases the amount of packaging and energy involved in shipping these amazing creatures. It also means you're able to witness the full life cycle of the butterfly and moth in their natural habitats.

In a garden the size of ours it's impossible to have no plant pests, as they're a natural part of an ecosystem. When we do have a population increase in a certain pest species, we introduce beneficial insects that eat or parasitize the unwanted pests until the population is back under control. We even have tiny European wall lizards for us running around and eating ants and unwanted soil pests.