Hundreds of exotic butterflies will flutter past visitors as part of a new museum exhibition. Some 600 live insects have been brought in for the Natural History Museum’s Sensational Butterflies exhibition, along with 1,300 pupae which will mature in the coming days.

By the time the showcase opens to the public on Tuesday, organisers are expecting to have around 1,500 insects flapping around the purposely-built butterfly house on the museum’s front lawn.

Butterfly house manager Luke Brown said: “The exhibition is something that people of every age should see.

“It’s so calming just sitting surrounded by butterflies. You can’t fully appreciate it until you have experienced it for yourself.”

The butterfly house will be kept at temperatures between 25C and 35C and at 80 per cent humidity to best suit the more than 40 different species of tropical insect including the blue morpho, swallowtail and giant birdwing.

The new arrivals have already settled into their surroundings, and have begun to reproduce.

Around 400 new pupae will also be brought in every week during the exhibition’s run to keep numbers up, as the butterflies have an average life span of just two to three weeks.

The Sensational Butterflies exhibition runs at the Natural History Museum from April 12 until September 11.