FACT SHEET

EXHIBITION	The Butterfly Conservatory:Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter
DATES	November 27, 1998 - February 28, 1999
CONTENT	The Museum's Hall of Oceanic Birds houses a 1,300-square-foot, translucent vivarium, containing a tropical forest habitat for 300 to 500 free-flying butterflies from Florida and Costa Rica. The eighty-degree air and lush plants immerse visitors in the "natural" environment where swallowtails, zebra longwings, orange sulphurs, and many other species may land on their shoulders or flutter past in search of flowers. Outside the vivarium, educational displays explain the taxonomy, life-cycle, and conservation of butterflies. Inside, visitors can learn to recognize their favorite butterfly species from graphics that describe the different wing patterns and colors. Visitors can also witness adult butterflies emerge from the chrysalis stage and fly away after a few minutes of adjusting to their new surroundings.
SPECIFICATIONS	Vivarium: 62-feet-long, 21-feet-wide, and 13-feet-high. Lighting: metal halide spotlights, designed to simulate daylight. Temperature: 78 to 80 degrees with 80 percent humidity.
ORGANIZATION	Exhibition Curator: James Miller, Associate Curator of Entomology Exhibition Design: David Harvey, Director of Exhibitions

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For additional information or photographic materials, contact the Department of Communications, American Museum of Natural History, 212-769-5800.

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