Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens - 1354 North 2nd Street, Rockford

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Reviews about Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens

• Jeffrey Dodson
  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
  It's small. But it is also dense. No, not in a bad way... They have managed to put a great deal into a small space. I took my son to see the butterfly exhibit, which was definitely worth the price of admission. The staff is knowledgeable and extremely welcoming.
  
  You'll be given a "sugary sponge on a stick"... It's not a free snack for the visitors; it is a rather ingenious device to attract, briefly capture, and observe close-up the feeding method of one of the 20+ species of butterfly in the exhibit.
  
  You'll be urged to watch where you step, as the butterflies are quite literally under foot, as well as above your head. And for creatures that don't really live long enough to develop either an affection or a fear of humans, these particular ones are remarkable happy to take the sugary bait, and permit the patrons a very up-close and personal introduction.
  
  They've assembled an eclectic collection from North and South Americas, one more beautiful than the next.
  
  When you're done with the butterflies, and pass inspection to make sure none have tried to use your hair as a means of escape, you would be wise to take in the varied assemblage of flora inside the conservatory/arboretum before stepping outside. In addition to the various plants and trees, a surprisingly noisy man-made burbling brook is home to some rather aggressively friendly koi that literally swim to the surface, no doubt conditioned to associate humans and food, as they will harmlessly nip any fingers that trail into the water. (Harmless, yes, but you may recoil only as a natural reaction to any creature's jaws attaching to your finger. *insert John Williams' Theme to Jaws*)
  
  Outside you'll find some rather well-engineered waterfalls, a large oval pond, home to yet more koi and three or four swan.
  
  (The only nit to be picked: traffic sounds from 2nd Street do tend to insinuate themselves into any quiet contemplations the setting might have provided. It most certainly isn't Walden's Pond, but, few of us are budding Thoreaus, either...)

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