Expedition Butterfly
Did you know that butterflies taste with their feet? Hide in a chrysalis, spread the wings of a European peacock butterfly and explore the colourful insects with superpowers.
Here, we tell the story of butterflies – the wild winged creatures. We share practical tips on how to get up close to the butterflies, where and when to find them, and what you can do to help them thrive.
Welcome to Expedition Butterfly in National Park Kongernes Nordsjælland!
Expedition Butterfly at Esrum Abbey & Millyard
Did you know that butterflies taste with their feet? Hide inside a chrysalis or caterpillar, unfold the wings of a European peacock butterfly, and discover the colourful insects with amazing superpowers.
You can also draw, colour, and cut out your favourite butterfly, then add it to our shared butterfly gallery, or browse books about butterflies.
In the landscape around Esrum Abbey and Esrum Millyard, you can set off on your own butterfly expedition. You'll find the butterfly exhibition next to the shop.
Photo: The Danish Nature Agency
Get ready for expedition!
Stinging nettles? Yes please!
The common stinging nettle is the host plant for five butterfly species: the European Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, and Map Butterfly. So, if you'd like to see more of these butterflies in your garden, leave a patch of stinging nettles growing in a warm, sunny spot. There's a good chance that a butterfly will choose them as a place to lay its eggs.
Photo: Lærke Kofod Wäänänen
The Landscapes of the Butterflies
Butterflies are sensitive to changes in the landscape, and many of their natural habitats have disappeared. The way we farm the land in Denmark has transformed the landscape. Areas that were once home to wetlands, ponds, meadows, and scrub rich in a variety of plants and trees have largely been replaced by vast fields with little diversity. In these landscapes, butterflies can neither lay their eggs nor find enough food. As a result, more than 10 % of Denmark's butterfly species have become extinct since 1960. This is serious but there is still time to act before more species disappear.
Help the Butterflies!
Everyone who owns or manages land can help create more diverse, connected nature that benefit butterflies and many other species in the Danish nature. The butterfly is an umbrella species. This means that protecting butterflies and their habitats also helps protect many other plants and animals. Put simply: if you do something good for butterflies, you're also helping a wide range of other species, because butterflies have particularly demanding habitat requirements.
National Park Kongernes Nordsjælland works with private landowners, municipalities, and the Danish Nature Agency to create more wild nature. This includes conservation grazing and other forms of habitat management that provide ideal conditions for butterflies. This benefits, for example, the rare Purple-edged copper, whose only remaining habitat is at Skansebakken in Hillerød in the national park.
Photo: Lars Gejl