The Philadelphia Flower Show started in 1829, and has been wowing guests with their spectacular flower displays ever since. Although the location of the show has changed over the years, it is currently housed by the Philadelphia Covention Center, and takes place every March. Each year, the show has a unique and fun theme around which all of the floral exhibits are designed.
In more recent years, the Butterflies Live! experience (described here: https://theflowershow.com/experiences/butterflies-live/) has become a featured aspect of the flower show. Although on the surface it may seem that this is a great event based on educating visitors on pollinators and the conservation of their habitat, this is not really the case.
There are dead butterflies laying on the ground, many of the butterflies have severly ripped wings due to improper handling by guests, and even the attendants are aggressive towards the butterflies, picking them up and throwing them into the air when they are stuck onto a guest that is exiting the exhibit. The hundreds of butterflies are also only fed by a few small flowers and cotton swabs soaked in sugar water. Check out this link for more photos of the injured butterflies and their living conditions: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xHCetNahq1ix2guGA
Despite advertising themselves as an educational exhibit, the only education provided is on poster boards hung around a crowded waiting room.
Please sign this petition to ask the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to stop exploiting butterflies for entertainment and instead educate their guests, promoting native, pollinator-friendly plants and gentle handling of wildlife when it is necessary for their protection.
