NO JOKE!

April 1st has long been celebrated as an opportunity to play practical jokes on friends and family. This year will be the best ever at Brookgreen Gardens because April 1st will mark the opening of the brand new Butterfly exhibit, no joke! Months of planning, blood, sweat, and tears (well, maybe not so much the tears) have gone into building the butterfly garden, Whispering Wings Butterfly Experience.

A ticket for the butterfly garden only costs $3 for adults and $2 for children. Because space is limited, tours of the butterfly garden will be restricted to a certain number of visitors in order to insure the best viewing opportunity and experience.

Hundreds of butterflies can be seen fluttering about, including Monarch, Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Giant Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, and many more. So be sure to come out and see these most beautiful insects as they do what they do best.

Oh, one final thought - on your way out of the exhibit, be sure to check yourself for stow aways on your clothing.

Spring has sprung

Tomorrow is the official start of spring! This winter is on record as the coldest in a very long time as well as the winter with the longest sustained cold. And, of course, who can forget the snow day; February 13, 2010.

The Lowcountry Zoo is a very busy place to be in the spring. In the Cypress Aviary, we have between 12 and 15 black-crowned night heron chicks that will fledge shortly. In addition, there are at least two cattle egret nests "under construction".

Our red-tailed hawks are sitting on two eggs and our female bald eagle is also sitting on an egg! From what I have heard, this is the first time she has produced an egg. The viability of the eagle and hawk eggs is not known. Should they be fertile, they will be allowed to hatch and the parents will care for them for a few weeks. Then, the young will be sent to The South Carolina Raptor Center to be hacked. Hacking is the process of releasing healthy young birds into the wild.

Bald Eagles were federally endangered until the summer of 2007. Prior to the population return, hacking was used extensively in the wild to help in the repopulation. Captive-born eaglets are placed with captive surrogates or wild pairs that resulted in an unsuccessful clutch. This process allows for as little human involvement as possible which can result in imprinted birds. Imprinted birds are not candidates for release.

Due to the precarious nature of captive nesting we are asking our visitors to be respectful of the birds and their privacy.

Welcome to the Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens

Welcome,

Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark featuring breathtaking gardens, figurative sculptures, and a zoo featuring native South Carolina wildlife. We pride ourselves in the active role we play in coservation of both flora and fauna.

Why is there a zoo in a sculpture garden? The Lowcountry Zoo gives visitors an opportunity to learn about native wildlife. In addition, we display historically significant species that were once used on property when it was a functional rice plantation. More importantly, we give animals that have been orphaned, injured, diseased, or captive born a place to live. These animals cannot survive in the wild and must live in captivity.

What should you expect when you visit? Free with paid admission to the gardens, visitors can get an underwater view of North American River Otters swimming, foxes, eagles, white-tailed deer, american alligator, and much more. Plus, we do live animal programs at 2:30 daily where visitors get an up close look at wildlife and perhaps an opportunity to touch one.

Stay tuned for animal updates, upcoming events, The Zoos News, and featured animals.