Explore
Butterflies
Learning About …
The Learning Center at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory is an exciting introduction to the world of butterflies.
To set the stage a 15-minute film describes the life cycle and basic facts of interest about butterflies.
The Learning Center explores all aspects of the butterfly world with a wall size mural map, depicting butterfly identification by country of origin, as well as illustrated information on butterfly anatomy, physiology and a look at the incredible Monarch migration.
Also, get a rare close-up view at a variety of live caterpillars feeding and developing on their host plants.
Walk Among Hundreds of Living Butterflies and Colorful Birds!
During your breathtaking journey you will experience an impressive collection of flowering plants, cascading waterfalls and trees that set the stage for the “flowers of the sky.” Witness some 50 to 60 different species from around the world, as well as varieties of colorful birds, all under a climate-controlled, glass-enclosed habitat.
Gift Shop
Unique, nature themed gifts for everyone
The gift shop at The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory is a butterfly and nature lover’s dream. We’ve collected all kinds of beautiful and unique butterfly and nature related items from around the world.
Our gift shop is a must visit while in Key West. We can ship your gift item to almost anywhere. Our online gift shop has some of our most popular items. We are constantly adding new merchandise to our online store, so please check back often. If you do not see something online that you have seen in our Gift Shop feel free to email us and will do our best to add it for you.
Art Gallery
A Kaleidoscope of color
The only art studio on premises with the gifts being handmade in Key West.
Since the beginning of time, man has been fascinated by the “flowers of the sky”… the butterfly. Many have tried to reproduce their beauty with palette and brush, words or music; but few have ever truly captured the magnificence of their fleeting beauty…until now.
Treasure the everlasting beauty of Mother Nature’s works of art. Wings of Imagination offers the opportunity to own the beauty of butterflies dramatically displayed in airtight, clear acrylic cases. Sealed in these finely crafted cases, protected from harm, the butterflies achieve immortality. The craftsmanship of the cases is unmatched in the industry.
Raised in select butterfly farms from South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, these “wings of wonder” have completely lived out their short adult life cycles. They stand as testament to the incredible diversity of the tropical rain forest and the importance of mans’s need to preserve their fragile habitat.
Meet the
Artist
Sam Trophia
For over 30 years artist Sam Trophia’s creative imagination has translated the butterfly world into an endless variety of compositions. Sam’s creations have transformed corporate and residential walls into kaleidoscopic spectacles of natural color and beauty, with displays proudly shown nationwide in art galleries and countless homes from coast to coast. Sam has spread his art far and wide, recreating the choreography of the butterflies in flight; a splendid chaos of silent winged jewels displayed for a lifetime.
The range of colors, the diversity and brilliance, pattern, and color exhibited in the perfectly crafted displays surpasses even the natural habitat of these magnificent insects. The multitude of wall and table mounted displays range from the solitary beauty of a single specimen to complex wall murals consisting of multiple display cases depicting an infinite variety of butterflies suspended in mid-flight. Custom work is limited only by the imagination! Every piece is a perfectly unique object of art complete with butterfly identification packet, artist biography and instructions on caring for your natural wonder.
Read More About Sam
At 9 years of age, Sam Trophia witnessed the incredible transformation of a homely caterpillar into a beautiful Monarch butterfly, which forever captured his interest in the butterfly world. By the age of 15, he was studying and raising Monarch butterflies in upstate New York. In 1975 he collaborated in a research project to band butterflies resulting in the understanding of the annual migration patterns of the Monarch from the eastern half of North America to their over-wintering sites in Mexico.
From hobby and science to fulfilling a lifelong dream, Wings of Imagination – The Butterfly Gallery, became a reality in 1992. The culmination of over two decades of fascination, love, and appreciation of the beauty of the butterfly, the gallery is one of the most spectacular spots to visit in Old Key West. Whether you visit us exclusively here on our website, or plan to enjoy the beauty of our two locations in Key West, we welcome you. Through our art form you have the potential of enjoying the tranquil beauty and the wonderful masterpieces of Nature’s creation suspended in flight, preserved for all time. Special orders and commissions for original one-of-a-kind display creations are always welcome. Worldwide shipping is available.