EPCOT‘s annual International Flower & Garden Festival is still in full swing and if you haven’t explored the many gardens of the festival, I suggest you check out Bambi’s Butterfly House. Now through July 4th, 2022 this little oasis is a walk-through experience located just near the Imagination pavilion. Let’s explore!
If you are looking for a beautiful, peaceful stroll while in Epcot, look no further than World Nature where Bambi and Friends topiaries will invite you to take a walk through flowers, butterflies and their habitat. You may even spot Pooh Bear while entering the house. Look off to the left just outside the Butterfly House…you might spot Pooh trying to catch some butterflies with his net! There was a line for us for entry; the Butterfly House only allows for a limited number of people to enjoy the surroundings, so while we were briefly waiting, we watched our beloved friend Pooh Bear in the distance entertaining a small group of onlookers.
What I enjoyed most about this exhibit is that there is something for everyone. You can learn about butterflies, stroll and soak in all of the vibrant colors of flowers in the garden, or notice the Bambi cut-outs popping from the lush greenery. Bambi & Friends are a great idea for theming. I found Bambi, Thumper, and Flower. The butterflies are everywhere, and if you put your hand out, one may even sit on your finger!
The life cycle of a butterfly and instructions on how to make your own butterfly garden are displayed for an interesting educational experience. I didn’t realize you needed some water sources for butterflies and I noticed little saucers of water (like bird baths) located throughout the garden. They need to be specifically created using pebbles and sand for them to drink. Another fun fact is that Disney’s supporting the Atala butterfly population, which was once extinct in Florida. Did you know due to their efforts that they are regenerating the population located in Disney’s Vero Beach Resort?
This garden area/butterfly sanctuary was one of my favorite areas of the International Flower and Garden Festival. The other areas worth checking out were the topiaries and other gardens, especially the Shakespeare Garden located in the United Kingdom pavilion. Dedicated areas to his works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, were matched with each garden. For example, a rose garden symbolized Romeo and Juliet because “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!” We were also partial to the Tinker Bell’s Fairy House Garden nearby because it also had elaborate theming similar to the Bambi Butterfly House. Tinker Bell is one of our favorite characters, and this year they had a magnificent garden including fairy houses to seek and find. We enjoyed exploring all of the little fairy houses within the garden.
Unfortunately, you will not be escaping the Florida heat in any outdoor garden, but the Butterfly House will provide you with a little extra shading from the butterly netting surrounding the exhibit. If you have some time in between Journey Into Imagination with Figment and Soarin’ Around The World, check out Bambi’s Garden! It is worth your time.
Shari Kessler loves the Disunplugged and all things Disney. She has imparted her passion for the parks along with her husband of more than 25 years to their three young adult children. Their family vacations have included Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line and Aulani but their home base is Walt Disney World as she resides from New Jersey. Shari also loves her cats Ricky and Lucy(RIP Lucy 2021). As a former early childhood educator she is now assisting at an animal hospital in NYC. She enjoys the Disunplugged community and hopes her articles connect with the Dis family.
You can find her and all of her articles at:
https://sharikessler13.wixsite.com/my-site
Thanks for reading!
