November 1998

THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY:
TROPICAL BUTTERFLIES ALIVE IN WINTER

This winter, visitors to the American Museum of Natural History can relax in a warm oasis without leaving New York City. The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter features more than 300 tropical butterflies, flying freely in an enclosed rainforest habitat where people and insects can interact. The eighty-degree air, fluttering butterflies, and lush plants transform the coldest winter day into a summer-like holiday. The Butterfly Conservatory will be on view through February 28, 1999.

A free-standing, arched shell structure, called a vivarium, houses the exhibition's 1,300-square-foot habitat, bustling with a wealth of activity: as Museum-goers stroll along a pathway that winds through the green, leafy plants, a Swallowtail may land on a visitor's shoulder, or an Orange Sulphur may perch at a nearby nectar station to feed. Powerful metal halide lamps shine down from the ceiling, simulating the sunlight that streams through an actual rainforest. In the background, the sounds of howler monkeys, parakeets, quetzals, and other species complete the natural experience. Outside the vivarium, visitors can peer through the thin, translucent walls to watch the Monarchs, Zebra Longwings, Blue Morphos, and dozens of other butterfly species fly among the people and plants.

The butterflies come from butterfly farms in Florida and Costa Rica. Since the average life span of a butterfly is two to three weeks, roughly 250 butterfly pupae will be shipped to the Museum weekly for the duration of the exhibition. Once they hatch, the colorful insects will be released inside the vivarium. Some of the pupae will hang in a special case within the butterfly forest, where onlookers can see them emerge from the chrysalis stage as adult butterflies, and fly out of the open top of the case into their surroundings.

Outside the vivarium, illustrated displays describe butterfly reproduction, development, defense mechanisms, evolution, and conservation. As visitors approach the vivarium entrance, they learn that the intricate designs on butterfly wings are formed by colored scales, and that some of these beautiful insects are poisonous to predators. The panels also explain how scientists rely on wild butterflies to indicate the health of an ecosystem, and how the Museum's collection of butterfly specimens lends a wealth of historical information to the study of butterflies and moths around the world.

The Butterfly Conservatory is a warm welcome to travelers, and a respite for New Yorkers. The exhibition's curator is James Miller, associate curator in Department of Entomology, and the design director is David Harvey, director of the Department of Exhibition, both of the American Museum of Natural History.

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For more information contact:
Department of Communications: 212-769-5800
or CLICK HERE to view the Butterfly Conservatory on-line.

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