You might not know this about New York, but there are many butterflies still here in winter.
New York is chilly in winter and not the place you would expect to find butterflies flying about.
Inside the American Museum of Natural History is a cozy tropical space where butterflies from all continents prosper. The warm, humid conservatory provides the ideal environment for more than 500 butterflies.
Hazel Davies is the director of live exhibits at the museum. She says a little known feature butterflies have is that they have taste receptors on their feet. That comes in very handy when females are looking for leaves to lay their eggs.
Some butterflies are toxic so things like mice or lizards or other predators find it distasteful and it might make them sick.
Some of the butterflies only live for 10 days so there is a continual replenishment program in place to keep the numbers up.
With reporting by Juliet Song
