Krohn Conservatory

Annual Butterfly Show

The site of Cincinnati’s first greenhouses, Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park has lots going for it. Free admission 365 days of the year (but donations are accepted, so pitch in because it’s the right thing to do). A succulent/cactus room. A traditional Christmas display with live animals. A spring butterfly show. A rainforest. A rainfall. But the secret is a Mexican cactus known officially as mescal bacanora and unofficially as the “stinky plant.” The five-foot-tall plant blooms once every 20-30 years, and its “stinky” moniker comes from the rotting meat smell that its flowers give off to attract the bats that pollinate it. The last time it bloomed - August of 2001 – Krohn workers had to remove roof panels from the huge glass conservatory and let it grow into the wild blue yonder to make room for its 25-foot spike. Now THAT's a plant with moxie!