Subtle scents, soothing waterfall sounds and enveloping warmth will make you forget the Normandy winter.

An ideal experience for the whole family

The Naturospace is designed to welcome the whole family, including younger visitors. Children will be delighted to follow an interactive course, complemented by fun explanatory boards to discover the exotic wildlife and plant life. They will be able to observe fascinating species such as monarch butterflies and Java finches, while learning about their natural environments.

Parents will enjoy moments of relaxation in this unique setting, while sharing an immersive and educational experience with their children.

A special offer for Christmas

For this festive reopening, the Naturospace has come up with an outstanding offer:

Free admission for children under 6 for any visit made during the Christmas holidays (one child per family, cannot be combined with other offers).

And do noy forget to take a trip around our souvenir shop for your last-minute gifts!

Give your loved ones an original and educational gift that combines pleasure and nature awareness.

Our commitment to biodiversity

Visiting the Naturospace also means you are supporting a project dedicated to protecting tropical ecosystems. Through awareness-raising initiatives and committed programmes, the site works towards protecting endangered species and raising public awareness on the importance of biodiversity. Picture yourself wandering amid lush orchids and colourful bromeliads, while observing natural interactions between animals and their habitat. An exotic interlude conducive to dreaming and escaping.

Enjoy an outing in Honfleur that combines pleasure, discovery and meaning, perfect for the end-of-year celebrations.

Practical information

Special Christmas opening dates: from Saturday, December 21^st, 2024 to Sunday, January 5^th, 2025.

Please note the Naturospace will be closed on December 25^th, 2024 and January 1^st, 2025.

Opening hours: from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. continuously.

Come and experience a unique tropical Christmas at the Naturospace in Honfleur: an enchanted interlude in the depths of winter for the entire family.

L’article Christmas under the rainforest canopy… in the heart of Normandy est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

Ever since it opened in 1999, the Naturospace has enchanted nearly 2 million visitors. And for good reason! This glasshouse instantly carries you away to the tropics.

Discover a tropical paradise in the heart of Normandy: The Naturospace of Honfleur is celebrating its 25^th anniversary!

Tropical butterflies are the kings of the glasshouse

There you will observe the fascinating life cycle of butterflies, from the stage of chrysalises to the majestic take-off of these winged jewels. Admire the majestic flight of the Blue Morpho with its wings of an intense azure. Watch out for the hatching of an Attacus atlas, the world’s largest moth… Before making the most of ideal tropical weather conditions to roam about freely, these butterflies have their spent their caterpillar life in the Philippines, Malaysia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Kenya and Madagascar. The Naturospace works with farmers from all over the world within the framework of a fair-trade approach.

Exotic birds feel themselves growing wings

And that is not all! The Naturospace also accommodates some magnificent exotic birds with vibrant plumages. Imagine the stark contrast between these rainbow-coloured creatures standing out against the intense green of the tropical vegetation that has flourished this past quarter of a century to offer a truly exotic setting. Spot where the blue-crowned hanging parrot, Victoria crowned pigeon, Fischer’s Touraco, Goldie’s lorikeet are… These birds are integrated at a young age so they may adapt themselves better to the glasshouse environment. Each newcomer spends at least one month in quarantine to undergo heath tests, and is then placed in an acclimatisation cage within the glasshouse. After approximately three weeks, the bird is released.

A tropical rainforest has grown in the middle of Normandy

Season after season, the Naturospace has turned into a tropical rainforest. Rare exotic plants, trees and flowers have been introduced there, to enable our tropical butterfly and bird species to live there as they would in a natural environment. Inside, the glasshouse is maintained at a temperature of approximately 25°C and relative humidity of 80%. Specific fixtures offer ideal observation conditions. Through this direct contact with nature, visitors become imbued with the unique atmosphere of the tropical rainforest. Just a short walk away from the Old Harbour of Honfleur.

Discover our opening times and prices here

An unforgettable outing

So then, are you ready to embark on a tropical trip without leaving France? Come and celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Naturospace in Honfleur and enjoy a unique experience close to nature. Wonderment guaranteed for young and old alike!

L’article A tropical paradise in Normandy: the Naturospace is celebrating its 25th anniversary! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

At the Naturospace, nature cannot stop expanding! After a month of January spent pruning and looking after rare species, it is now time to consider welcoming the public for the February holidays. While our team is ready for the reopening, the stars of the Naturospace are this year again all present! More than 1500 tropical butterflies have arrived these last few days in the form of chrysalides, originating from Ecuador or even the Philippines.

Our heliconius sports multifarious colours!

Many butterflies have started to fly under the eye of the public, others emerge live in our hatchery, a proper nursery… A magical moment! Among our many species, Heliconii are one of our favourites, outstanding little butterflies with their elongated wings adorned with various colours: blue, red, yellow, white, orange, sometimes lined with black… Highly noticeable in the Amazon rainforest, it is now your turn to recognise them in Honfleur!

Be nice to Perla!

Among our many rare bird species, we here present Perla, a female, African-native Fischer’s Turaco (Tauraco fischeri) who is gradually getting her bearings in our premises after initially spending her life in a small cage. Perla is gradually gaining muscle and we rely on our empathetic and kind public to show her respect and encourage her.

During your visit, look up and try to spot 2 young male superb fruit doves (Ptilinopus superbus) who were born thanks to our bird couple originating from New Guinea and who are uncommon in French zoological gardens. The ambient temperature of 24°C is as pleasant for our visitors on foot as it is for our birds and butterflies. The Naturospace in Honfleur is an ideal destination during these chilly spells.

 

Opening hours of the Naturospace in Honfleur during February-March 2024

Being open continuously from 9.30 a.m./4.30 p.m. enables you to make the most of the natural light our butterflies need to conduct their multicoloured ballets.

 

L’article Butterflies flutter by in February at the Naturospace! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

How about for Christmas, you treated someone to a tropical trip in Honfleur? Now there you have a one-of-a-kind travel idea to try out! Since 1999, the Naturospace has been enchanting visitors through its diversity of multicolored tropical butterflies that roam around in absolute freedom, going so far sometimes as to rest on their shoulders.

Is the weather dull, chilly? Forget about winter and come and enjoy our unchanging temperature of 28°C! As from all morning, enjoy our short film airing at the entrance and come and watch butterflies being born in the glasshouse hatchery. Bred in dedicated farms throughout the world, our lepidopterans have indeed arrived in the form of chrysalides and take flight at the Naturospace. Their metamorphosis is a unique and magnificent moment…

Butterflies and tropical birds

Plentiful at Christmas, our butterflies can rely on lush greenery to roam, eat, hide. Along our entirely refurbished pathways, it is up to you to read the explanatory panels and seek them out. You will also spot rare exotic birds whose colours and shapes never leave anyone indifferent. West Papuan lorikeets, hanging parrots, crested partridges, fruit doves, crowned pigeons… Just as many species that are sometimes threatened and that our team have at heart to protect by offering them a place to develop.

Discover our gift ideas

Plants and flowers have not been left out for Christmas. As every year, our poinsettias are as scarlet a red as Father Christmas’ outfit. And Christmas means gifts! When visiting our tropical glasshouse, take a walk inside our shop where jewellery, natural soaps, books for all ages on nature, butterflies and the tropics await you… Or even kits to make your own infused rum. The Naturospace has resolutely gone the extra mile to warm you up!

Naturospace in Honfleur practical information: our opening days and hours during Christmas 2023

The Naturospace is open throughout the 2023 Christmas holidays: From Saturday the 23^rd of December 2023 to Sunday the 7^th of January 2024 included, continuously from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Closed all day on Monday 25^th of December 2023 and the 1^st of January 2024.

L’article Your Christmas Holidays In The Amazon Rainforest Of Naturospace Honfleur! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

Sensitive since its creation back in 1999 to environmental defence issues, the Naturospace is offering from September 9^th to October 8^th, 2023 an exhibition of never-before-seen photos in the exhibition area of Honfleur’s glasshouse. 20 pictures of landscapes and animals in a 30×40 cm format are featured, all taken throughout the world by female photographers.

This event has been set up thanks to a collaboration with the association Spot Nature, which hosts animal photo exhibitions and a festival of the same name at the “Jardins Suspendus” (Hanging Gardens) in Le Havre. The Naturospace, as a partner of Spot-Nature, awards a prize there every year.

A tribute to nature and female photographers

In the eyes of Benoît Damico, Manager of the Naturospace, “it was only natural to offer continuity to some of these photos by hosting an autumnal exhibition in our dedicated area. At the same time, it appeared important to us to pay tribute to female photographers who brilliantly immortalise life and nature scenes throughout the world.”

By discovering all these creations which are sometimes in colour, sometimes in black and white, the public will then be able to immerse themselves in the Naturospace’s natural tropical environment where tropical butterflies, exotic birds and rare plants – of which many varieties find in our glasshouse an ideal place for their protection and reproduction – await them,

Practical exhibition information

Daily from September 9^th to October 8^th, 2023.

Opening hours:

September: 9.30 a.m. / 6.30 p.m. continuously.

October: 9.30 a.m. / 4.30 p.m. continuously.

Photo credits:

• The Dragonfly: Christele MOULIN (France). “Inflamed”
• The Kingfisher: Annik MARIN (France). “A kiss”
• The jellyfish: Claudine THIMSTER (Belgium) “Sinuous”
• The Leopard: Kristen VAN ACH KER (Belgium) “The Beauty of African Night”

L’article Photographic exhibition: “Nature in its feminine form” at the Naturospace est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

A magical place in Normandy… Such is the comment our team regularly hears from the many visitors of all ages who rush to the NaturoSpace, just a short walk away from Honfleur’s Old Harbour. For those of you who have never stepped foot inside the glasshouse, here are our recommendations so you can make the most of your visit.

ENJOY A CONSTANT TROPICAL TEMPERATURE

Whether it rains or shines in Calvados, the temperature inside the NaturoSpace never exceeds 30°C. Some days, it can even be cooler inside the glasshouse than outside.

These are ideal conditions to admire the hundreds of butterflies evolving in this enchanting space, with their colours blending with the flights of tropical birds and the hues of tropical plants and flowers.

Take advantage of the early moments of the morning, from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. to fully enjoy your visit, as well as the periods ranging from 12 o’clock to 2 p.m. and after 4.30 p.m. when it is far less busy.

DISCOVER THE LIFE CYCLE OF BUTTERFLIES

As you make your way along our footpath, our team spots caterpillars that butterflies have laid. They get put into a vivarium in which they will find food and optimal conditions to develop. And so, the caterpillar will become a larva: this is known as the pupation process.

In a fair-trade approach, the NaturoSpace imports chrysalides from all over the world that get carefully put inside a hatchery. Every day the public can attend the fabulous birth of butterflies and watch them flutter their wings for the first time… Magical !

NaturoSpace practical information

During the summer, the glasshouse is open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

NaturoSpace Honfleur, Boulevard Charles V, 14600 Honfleur. Free parking.

Phone: +33 (0)2 31 81 77 00.

SPOT BIRDS THAT ARE UNIQUE AND PROTECTED

Fischer’s turaco, Goldie’s lorikeets, Scheepmaker’s crowned pigeon… The NaturoSpace is committed to protecting endangered species by welcoming rare exotic bird specimens. Spot their colourful wings and read our many information panels to find out more!

ENJOY THE FILM AND PERMANENT EXHIBITION

As from the start of your visit, the NaturoSpace offers you an immersion experience by following a short documentary on the life of butterflies: “metamorphosis papilionum”, filmed by Yves Lanceau and Nathalie Truchet and which includes magnificent slow-motion scenes filmed at 2000 frames per second.

Then take your time at the permanent exhibition on the giant stuffed insects of Guiana. The giant tarantulas and beetles on display are among the largest insects in the world.

L’article THE NATUROSPACE, HONFLEUR’S TOP DESTINATION THIS SUMMER! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

Open since 1999, our butterfly glasshouse in Honfleur attracts a growing number of visitors every year. Here are some valuable tips so that everyone, young and old alike, may fully enjoy this unique moment.

Taking the time to watch

Avoid crowds of a morning as from 9.30 a.m. and enjoy cooler temperatures, though they do remain tropical in order to best preserve the site’s flora and fauna. Make your way to the hatchery and watch the slow birth of butterflies live before their wings emerge and that they make their first flight. Those are magical moments! Our birds, who have spent the night in their nest amid our forest, are also more active. Of an evening, there are once again fewer visitors, you can make the most of these enchanting spots.

Our summer opening hours

June: open continuously 9.30 a.m.-6.30 p.m.

July-August: open continuously 9.30 a.m.-7.30 p.m.

 

Taking the time to smell

Unique flowers, tropical plants… Every day is different in our tropical world, with a richness that permanently improves. Our teams wait on our plants hand and foot all year long by pruning, trimming, planting and enabling your eyes or sense of smell to experience unique scents in Normandy: Victoria cruziana (giant Amazon waterlily), Theobroma cacao (the drink of gods, cocoa), Vanilla planifola (an orchid creeper: vanilla)…

Taking the time… to linger

The Naturospace offers a large concentration of animal and plant species that cannot be observed immediately as a whole.

Gouldian finch, Superb fruit dove, Victoria crowned pigeon (the largest pigeon in the world)…

We invite you to seek out our exotic birds and watch them go about their day. The Peleides blue morpho (blue butterfly of the Amazon rainforest), Heliconius spp (small, multi-coloured South American butterflies)… Identify the colours and shapes of tropical butterfly wings, wait for them to gently come and rest on your shoulders, watch them enjoy their afternoon snack…

Retrace your steps, go round several times, each tour holds many surprises…

Head over to the ponds where live magnificent Koi carps you will perhaps be able to feed (food is available at our gift shop)…

Making the most of our explanatory panels

New educational panels have flourished to better inform you of environmental issues and actions the Naturospace is conducting towards preserving endangered species. You will receive a complimentary map of the site with each entrance ticket to help you discover the diversity of the Naturospace. Our team is also at your disposal to answer your questions.

L’article Taking the time to visit the Naturospace Butterfly House… est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

After a successful summer season that witnessed a rise in visitor numbers, the Naturospace in Honfleur offers you the opportunity of returning to the magical world of tropical butterflies, birds and plants during the autumn school holidays. Located merely 2 hours away from Paris, come and journey far away into our Amazon rainforest based in Normandy!

A new butterfly has made its debut

The Naturospace receives chrysalises that each morning turn into magnificent butterflies under the wonderstruck eyes of visitors of all ages. The glasshouse in Honfleur is the first in Europe to have managed to make the Euptychia antonoe butterfly reproduce. You will be able to recognise the magnificent butterfly through the brown stripes on its wings that also sport big eyes, to better deceive enemies.

Birds to discover at a leisurely pace

During low season, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility pervades the glasshouse. Now is the chance to take your time and follow the signs presenting our birds before seeking them out. It will be easy to come across the Victoria crowned pigeon that greatly impresses visitors with its weight nearing 2 kg (or 4.4 lb) and its 75-cm blue wingspan. We have also recently welcomed Goldie’s lorikeets, pretty green-feathered birds that sport a bright scarlet head. Crested wood partridges, turacos, Java finches… It is up to you to keep your eyes wide open and recognise them!

An exceptional garden as extraordinary as ever

The Naturospace has earned the title of Park and Garden of Normandy through the beauty and variety of species that have grown in its glasshouse for the past 20 years. While autumn temperatures are sometimes chilly and the weather fickle, here the school holidays take on a summer feel with a garden that is especially lush when it comes to flowers and fruit: orchids, papayas, guavas… Autumn half-term is exotic in Honfleur!

L’article Head off to the Naturospace in Honfleur for the autumn school holidays! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

In 2019, the Naturospace is celebrating its 20^th anniversary since first opening to the public. Already!… 20 years of tropical passion with more than ever the same motivation, the same goal: sharing this raw emotion that one experiences when immersed in this nature that is so special. Connecting our guests live with our plants, butterflies and birds without any cages or barriers hindering them.

While the garden is getting more beautiful with age, the trees are becoming outstanding, the botanical collection is enriched, and our number of birds increases year after year. Let us zoom in on the white-cheeked Turacos, the Monarch butterfly and the cacao tree you can admire when touring the site in Honfleur.

Exotic bird: the white-cheeked Turaco

This summer, we are introducing you to the white-cheeked Turaco. Turacos live in the mountains of Ethiopia. These birds are gregarious and arboreal, they only ever descend to the ground to bathe and to drink. They are frugivorous, meaning they are fruit-eaters. Being monogamous, Turacos are very territorial and remain in family groups over long periods of time. These exotic birds are quite fragile and any damage done to their habitat could cause their numbers to decline quite promptly.

Tropical butterfly: the Monarch

The Monarch is a migratory species. This tropical butterfly enjoys living all over America, and spends most of the winter months in Mexico. It finds in our tropical glasshouse in Honfleur ideal conditions to develop. Its bright colours are meant to be a warning signal for potential predators.  A Monarch’s lifespan can reach 6 months when entering diapause. The Monarch is one of the very few butterflies to benefit from a protection programme (protection of habitats and wintering grounds in Canada, the USA and Mexico).

Rare plant: the cacao tree

Present in our butterfly glasshouse since the very beginning, the cacao tree produces cocoa pods from which the beans used to make chocolate are extracted. Inflorescences appear on its trunk. Its flowers are hermaphroditic, meaning they feature both male (stamens) and female organs (pistil). The pod is green and then turns orange when it is ready to be harvested. The beans are plump and provide cocoa that is fine and fragrant, highly valued by chocolate makers. Growing cocoa requires a hot and humid climate, regular rainfall and a lot of shade.

L’article Summer 2019: 20 years of tropical immersion at the Naturospace est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.

New features await you in every direction at the Naturospace in Honfleur! The months of April and May are especially conducive to taking an unforgettable trip to the Amazon rainforest established in Normandy.

We are open everyday from 10.00 to 18.30

FEATHERS AND SCALES ADORN OUR BIRTH COLUMN

During the spring period, the glasshouse’s birth column is full of announcements: -Small koi carps with shiny and colourful scales are wriggling about in our ornamental lakes, to the greatest delight of our young visitors who can feed them; you just need to pop by our shop to do so. – As for our exotic birds, higher up amid the trees, four Nicobar pigeons have emerged from the nest.

The holidays are the ideal opportunity to witness their first flights. It is up to you to spot them: our young lodgers can be recognised by their small size as well as their orange, green and blue colours which are not as vivid as their parents’.

There has also been a lot of activity within the Java finch family, with eggs being spotted in one of the glasshouse nests. During the long weekends of May, more birds will fly with their own blue and grey wings.  

FLOWERS, PLANTS AND RARE BUTTERFLIES

Amid our recreated jungle, you will be able to witness the blossoming of our black pepper tree round the corner of our pathway. You cannot sample it, that way you will be not get overcome by its fieriness! Our green papaya has also grown a great deal and the fruit it bears is impressive. Colourful flowers have not been outdone as our lilies and orchids are also astoundingly beautiful.

These are just as many ideal conditions to come and see our butterfly friends fly all around our tropical glasshouse, going so far as to even rest on the shoulders of children and grown-ups alike. Admire our rare species roaming around freely or gathering nectar from inside the flowers and sucking on the sugar we leave at their disposal. The spring light highlights their beauty and lightness even more significantly.

Plenty of reasons to get you to come over to Honfleur in Normandy during your Easter holidays or long weekends of May!

L’article The Naturospace in Honfleur is the place to be during easter and the long weekends of may! est apparu en premier sur Naturospace Honfleur.