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By Colleen Jones

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens holds 40 different species of butterflies among many other unique creatures. Right off of routes 5 and 10 at 281 Greenfield Road in South Deerfield, and with a history spanning 13 years, it is no secret to the locals but perhaps overlooked.

The conservatory is open year-round and receives most of its visitors from Western Mass and Connecticut. In the fall, people from all over come to get a taste of the colorful show of butterflies that’s like nowhere else in the Pioneer Valley.

For $10, students are admitted entrance to the exhibit and greeted by a chameleon sitting contently in its glass tank. A video about butterflies plays in the entry room as guests wander about and examine the tanks of the beetles, frogs, millipedes, and geckos.

Insects aside, this room contains the entry to what seems like another world.  A tropical haven awaits, home to about 4,000 butterflies and hundreds of rainbow wings flap in the air as the doors close. The room is lit up by the sea of radiantly colored butterflies landing on the equally colorful flowers of plants such as the firebush, jasmine, and the Hawaiian fishtail palm.

With sunlight pouring into the conservatory, it’s hard not to get lost in the serenity of the koi pond’s flowing waters, the peaceful music, and of course, the hundreds of colorful wings flapping about.

“It’s easy to make new friends when you’re all in there. It’s something about the room that’s special, you kind of get lost,” said General Manager Kathy Fiore.

Every visitor should take a moment to relax on a bench to enjoy the tranquil space, make a new friend, or even wait for a brilliant blue butterfly to get curious enough to want to taste their brightly colored shirt as they attempt to write a paper.