Great Plains Zoo Breaks Ground on New Butterfly Garden as Part of Major Expansion
The Great Plains Zoo and Butterfly House & Aquarium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, began construction yesterday on a new Butterfly Garden, marking the first phase of a comprehensive 15-year plan to integrate the zoo and aquarium into a unified campus.
The project was officially launched at a groundbreaking ceremony on October 21, despite blustery fall weather. The new garden is a key component of the “We Can’t Wait” fundraising campaign, aiming to raise $25 million—matching a lead gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford—to fund the zoo’s ambitious transformation. This expansion is expected to significantly boost tourism and educational opportunities in the region.
The Butterfly Garden will feature a 5,000-square-foot conservatory designed to replicate a rainforest environment, complete with tropical foliage, a pond ecosystem, and hundreds of free-flying butterflies. “This is the beginning of all sorts of things,” said Tracy Dahl Webb, Chair of the Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium Board of Directors. The garden will also include a garden lantern for events, a “tree of life” sculpture, a koi pond constructed from local Sioux quartzite, and a lab for butterfly life cycle education. The current Butterfly House & Aquarium, a beloved community fixture since 2002, will have its memorial plaques relocated to the new facility, preserving its legacy. You can learn more about butterfly conservation efforts at the World Wildlife Fund.
Future phases of the master plan include the construction of a new Joe H. Floyd Education Center, funded in part by a $2 million contribution from Midco, and a 400,000-gallon aquarium. Zoo officials anticipate the Butterfly Garden will open during the winter of 2026-27, and are continuing to solicit donations to complete the remaining phases of the project. For details on the zoo’s ongoing development, visit the Great Plains Zoo website.
Zoo leaders expressed confidence in the community’s continued support, emphasizing the project’s potential to create a world-class destination for families and visitors.
