Montana’s only tropical butterfly house opened its doors Tuesday. It’s part of a larger vision for outdoor education in Missoula and beyond.
A waterfall runs beneath a wall of greenery. Mist hangs in the air. And, an occasional azure flash flutters by.
“And so, you can see we’ve got a good number of blue morphos that are flying.”
Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium co-founder Glenn Marangelo points to one of the iridescent insects as it examines a plate of rotting fruit. The blue morphos are native to South America. Other residents of the butterfly house hail from Africa and China.
Glenn’s partner and co-founder Jen Marangelo watches visitors take in the sights and smells of the tropical exhibit. The Marangelos and the butterfly house team have worked for years to make the brand-new facility a reality after their old location closed in 2019.
“It’s the dream come true," Jen Marangelo said. "And, it’s been so busy that we sometimes are missing these moments to really take it in. And so, it’s fun right now.”
The bugs inhabit just one part of the nearly 30,000 sq. ft. Gerald W. Marks Exploration Center on the Missoula County fairgrounds. It also houses county offices and conservation nonprofits.
Gerald Marks has advised Missoula county as a Montana State University extension agent since 1969. Organizers named the building in honor of his work to push the project forward. Marks said he was proud of the end product.
“This was moving from a ‘Gerry Marks field of dreams’ to a ‘Missoula field of dreams’; and that’s what I really wanted all along,” Marks said.
Landscapers are busy designing a two-and-a-half-acre garden set to open on the grounds next summer. The building also boasts a high-tech demonstration kitchen, lab space and a green roof scheduled for installation next year.
As for the butterflies, Glenn Marangelo knows they’re the show-stopper. But, he thinks Montanans will welcome a local trip to the tropics, too, as winter sets in.
“You walk in, it’s warm, there’s green, there’s flowers in bloom — it’s a little vacation.”