(Adrian St.Onge/CHAT News)

By Adrian St.Onge

‘There’s a mystique to it’: Butterfly House opens it’s doors again at Medicine Hat’s Windmill Greenhouse

Apr 22, 2024 | 12:46 PM

It’s not everyday you go to buy some posies and you get yelled at by a goat.

But as spring flowers blossom and summer starts to bloom, Windmill Greenhouse owner Amy Van Dam said that it’s something she’s starting to get used to.

“They will scream at you if you’re not giving them any attention. They will stand on the bridge and scream at you from a long ways away,” Van Dam said.

The Windmill Greenhouse has finally finished it’s long awaited goat bridge, allowing for shoppers to not only stop and smell the roses, but also feed and pet some goats.

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Van Dam says the community feedback has already been positive.

“It’s amazing. Sometimes you’re working in the office and you hear kids going ‘Oh my gosh there’s goats over there!’. People don’t expect to see goats above them and it’s just been a really good response and people are loving it,” Van Dam said.

“A lot of families are coming by to see it and take an adventure through the greenhouse to see the birds, parrots, chickens, ducks and everything. It’s been really good,” she said.

Raymond Slater had a chance to feed and visit with the goats. To say he was excited was an understatement.

“Well it’s like, I love animals. I love when I get to feed animals because the goats are really soft and it’s so soft. It’s so cute and I love it,” Slater said.

If you’re not keen on goats, the greenhouse has also reopened their butterfly house.

Van Dam and her father started the butterfly house at the recommendation of her snowbird uncle, and at it’s peak, is home to over 450 butterflies from around the world.

Thousands of butterflies and 12 years later, it’s a main attraction for children like Azalia Gurdian.

“I think it’s going to be amazing, marvelous and I think it will be a great opportunity for everyone to see all the butterflies and beautiful nature. I just love the butterfly house,” Gurdian said.

Van Dam said that while business has improved with the new adjustments, the major focus was to give back to the community.

“We just wanted to create a space for the community where they can come in, where there’s no pressure to buy anything, just come in, hang out, do something fun like seeing the goats and the butterflies. You don’t have to travel far, it’s right here in town,” she said.

Van Dam said that they plan to start offering workshops for rookie gardeners and finishing the outdoor park within the greenhouse, offering Hatters another place to take in the sights and relax.