LONDON.- The live tropical butterfly house and garden of Sensational Butterflies returns to the Natural History Museum’s east lawn today, just in time for the Easter holidays.

Visitors come face to face with hundreds of striking butterflies, moths and caterpillars. There are species from all over the world including the spectacular swallowtail, the beautiful blue morpho, the magnificent moon moth and many more, originating from Africa, Southeast Asia and North and South America.

Highlights include: an outdoor butterfly garden with tips on how to attract butterflies and create your own butterfly garden at home fun, interactive activities allowing you to explore fascinating butterfly facts.

Underside wings of the blue morpho butterfly. The dull brown camouflage conceals the iridescent blue colour on the other side of its wings, to help it hide from predators.

There's also the chance to watch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises through the hatchery window, a riot of colourful tropical plants in the house and garden tips, and advice from the butterfly house manager.

The Natural History Museum cares for one of the biggest and most diverse butterfly and moth collections in the world, gathered over the last 200 years. Scientists at the Museum study this collection, which attracts visiting scientists from all around the world.

Sensational Butterflies is open from 29 March to 15 September.