Students are meeting the bearded dragon living in the deserts of Australia at the Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden.

Students at the Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden, one of Konya’s important tourism destinations, meet with creatures living in tropical regions, such as bearded dragons and stick insects.
The Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden, which was established by the Selçuklu Municipality in the center of Konya and has the largest butterfly flight area in Europe, allows students to closely observe tens of thousands of butterflies of 45 different species, approximately 20,000 plants belonging to 98 species, as well as exotic animals living in tropical regions. Through the Nature Education Program conducted in the garden, experts explain topics such as “Discovering the Colorful World of Insects, Let’s Meet Reptiles, and I Am Among Interesting Creatures” to children.
The education programs, which can benefit students from kindergarten to university, as well as those coming from outside the city, particularly attract children’s interest with the bearded dragon that lives in Australian deserts. This harmless dragon draws attention with its long, thick tail and spiky beard on its neck. Along with the bearded dragon, stick insects, king snakes, giant snails, and tarantulas are among the exotic creatures that students encounter.
Biologist Nimet Yurtsever, who states that they explain butterflies and living creatures in three different classes in the Nature Education Class, said, “Here, children come into contact with living beings. They have direct contact with reptiles, such as snakes or bearded dragons. They also interact with stick insects and butterflies. They gain hands-on experience with fun and different creatures among interesting living beings. Thus, they establish a communication between living beings and nature. When they go out into nature, they have the opportunity to examine it in more detail. In this way, we try to instill a love for nature in children from the ground up. We provide education for students aged 4 to 17 during the week. On weekends, we cater to students coming from outside the city. Sometimes our university students also come, and we offer them a seminar-like event.”
Regarding the bearded dragon, which particularly draws attention during the education sessions, Nimet Yurtsever provided information, saying, “The bearded dragon generally lives in arid areas. Its main feature is that the spines on its jaw appear like a beard when you look at its physical structure. When it is stressed, scared, or wants to intimidate its enemies, its spines turn black and harden. This way, it makes itself appear larger, inflates, and frightens. When calmer, its entire body is the same color, and its beard is more subdued.”
“We provide our students with interesting and attention-grabbing information rather than rote learning.”
Selçuklu Mayor Ahmet Pekyatırmacı expressed that the Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden has garnered significant interest, saying, “Alongside the historical and cultural richness of our Konya, we have diversified tourism with our Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden. Of course, in addition to tourism and entertainment in our butterfly garden, we also provide educational opportunities for students who visit here. Our expert biologists provide our students with interesting and attention-grabbing information rather than rote learning. We enable them to interact harmlessly by introducing them to different species of insects. In this way, we aim to eliminate the feelings of hesitation and fear in our children by educating them about these creatures and explaining their roles in nature. In this framework, we introduce nature to children and youth practically and allow them to discover the changing life forms of butterflies, the lives of reptiles, and the fun world of interesting creatures. In this way, we aim to enhance our students’ knowledge and observation skills regarding nature, living beings, and insects. In this sense, I invite all our students and citizens from both within and outside the city to our garden to learn and discover the extraordinary life journey of butterflies.”
Students who visit the garden and benefit from the education expressed that being among the butterflies is a wonderful feeling, that they have met different creatures, and that they have learned new information. The garden is open for visits every day of the week from 09:00 to 17:00, except on Mondays.