While flowers, butterflies and stars are all older than humans, floriculture has its roots in Babylonian times. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. From there on, the Roman emperor Tiberius built the first greenhouse around 30 AD. From there, floriculture developed into a passion which is not limited to kings and emperors.
Butterflies on the other side have been bred since about 5000 BC in China. However, this has only been done for silkworms for the production of raw silk. Only starting from 1977, butterflies have been bred for exhibition. The Guernsey butterfly exhibit used greenhouses of the bankrupt tomato industry. Due to its success, butterfly exhibits quickly became popular and attracted more and more visitors every year.