For Immediate Release, June 2, 2008
Contact: Kelly Lessard (952) 431-9217

TAKE FLIGHT AT THE MINNESOTA ZOO’S AVEDA BUTTERFLY GARDEN
Garden opens June 14; Aveda Corporation partners for season

Apple Valley, MN – June 2, 2008: Let your imagination soar as you experience the Minnesota Zoo’s Aveda Butterfly Garden, opening for the season on Saturday, June 14, 2008. To celebrate the opening, Aveda will hand-out men’s product samples on Father’s Day at the Garden, and will distribute educational pollinator wheels to children on both Saturday and Sunday.

Countless North American butterflies, including Julias, Queens, Buckeyes, Tiger Swallowtails, Pipevine Swallowtails, and many more will delight Zoo guests as they stroll through a lushly landscaped garden. "Aveda is delighted to partner with the Minnesota Zoo to present the Aveda Butterfly Garden for the summer of 2008," said Chuck Bennett, Vice President, Earth & Community Care at Aveda. "As a company committed to products made from plants and flowers, Aveda recognizes the importance of pollinators, such as butterflies and moths, and their crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems where the foods and products that we use daily are obtained. We are honored to collaborate with the Zoo to extend public understanding and appreciation of these important species."

Adds Minnesota Zoo Director/CEO Lee Ehmke: “The Minnesota Zoo is proud to partner with Aveda Corporation to bring the butterfly exhibit to our guests for the summer. As a company deeply concerned with protecting the environment and the Earth’s biodiversity, Aveda is a perfect corporate partner for the Minnesota Zoo and the work we do to protect species locally, nationally and internationally, and to educate our visitors about the importance of the diversity of life on earth.”

Located along the Tropics Trail, the Aveda Butterfly Garden currently features 40 different species of butterflies and moths, fluttering in a beautiful environment that includes a small pond and a diversity of plants. This interactive exhibit demonstrates the butterfly life cycle including stages as a caterpillar, chrysalis or cocoon, and adult. The garden also contains hundreds of shrubs and flowering plants-both perennials and annuals.

The Aveda Butterfly Garden is open daily from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. through Labor Day (weather permitting) and is free of charge with regular Zoo admission.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).