American Museum Of Natural History - Butterfly Conservatory NYC Attractions

American Museum Of Natural History

TENTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF LIVE BUTTERFLIES TO ENCHANT VISITORS AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY: TROPICAL BUTTERFLIES ALIVE IN WINTER OCTOBER 6, 2007–MAY 26, 2008

FEATURES BUTTERFLIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

butterfly on orange The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter, visited by millions of children and adults, returns to the American Museum of Natural History on October 6, 2007. Celebrating its tenth year, this highly popular wintertime destination flourishes in 80° temperatures and features up to 500 hovering iridescent butterflies, blooming tropical flowers, and lush green vegetation. The Butterfly Conservatory transforms the iciest winter day into a magical escape into summer. Shimmering, multicolored butterflies gently flutter by visitors’ upturned faces, land atop their heads, or perch upon their shoulders.

kids w/ butterflies “The Butterfly Conservatory is a joyful, enchanting, and educational exhibition for both children and adults, and truly transports visitors out of their everyday lives into a magical setting teeming with color and flourishing life,” said Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “That’s why it’s one of our most popular exhibitions. We are proud to bring to the public for the tenth year this magical and beautiful exhibition that offers an instructive interactive experience and a unique opportunity to observe the diversity of nature in a re-created tropical forest environment filled with butterflies.”

Visitors mingle with butterflies inside a 1,200-square-foot vivarium, a freestanding structure that bustles with activity. Museum-goers stroll along a pathway that winds through the habitat, surrounded by the variegated leaves of tropical plants and trees and a riot of vibrant blossoms, including pentas and ixora. Powerful halide lamps shine down from the ceiling, simulating the sunlight that streams through an actual rain forest. In the background, the recorded sounds of howler monkeys, parakeets, quetzals, and other tropical animals help bring the “rain forest” to life. Outside the vivarium, visitors can peer through translucent walls to watch monarch, zebra longwings, paper kites, and other butterfly species flutter among people and plants.

Orange Butterfly The Conservatory’s butterflies come from farms in Florida, Costa Rica, Kenya, Thailand, and Malaysia. Among the species included in the vivarium are iridescent blue morpho butterflies, striking scarlet swallowtails, and large owl butterflies. Since the average life span of a butterfly is two to three weeks, roughly 500 butterfly pupae will be shipped to the Museum weekly for the duration of the exhibit. They are released in the vivarium after emerging. Others hang in a case in the vivarium, so visitors can witness adult butterflies emerging from the chrysalis stage and flying away only hours after adjusting to their new surroundings.

black butterfly Outside the vivarium, colorful educational displays explain the life cycle of butterflies, the worldwide efforts to protect their diverse habitats, and the variety of butterfly species in New York State. Visitors learn that intricate designs on wings are formed by colored scales, and that some butterflies, such as monarchs, are toxic to birds. Other panels explain how scientists rely on wild butterflies to gauge the health of an ecosystem, and how the Museum’s butterfly specimens offer a wealth of information to butterfly and moth researchers around the world. Video screens outside the vivarium display a short video of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

Butterfly enthusiasts can visit the exhibition online at www.amnh.org by clicking on The Butterfly Conservatory link. There they can watch longwings, swallowtails, and other species flicker by via a digital camera mounted in the vivarium. They can also find helpful tips on how to attract these magical creatures to their own backyards by creating a butterfly garden. The Butterfly Conservatory is on view through May 26, 2008.

Hours
The Museum is open daily, 10:00 a.m.–5:45 p.m.

Admission
Suggested general admission, which supports the Museum’s scientific and educational endeavors and includes 45 Museum halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is $15.00 (adults) suggested, $11.00 (students/seniors) suggested, $8.50 (children) suggested.

Public Information
For additional information, the public may call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum’s Web site at www.amnh.org.

STILL ON EXHIBIT:

HALL OF HUMAN ORIGINS
The innovative Spitzer Hall, the successor to the Museum's popular Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, combines for the first time anywhere the most up-to-date discoveries in the fossil record with the latest in genomic science to explore the most profound mysteries of humankind: who we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future of our species. Permanent Exhibit. For more detailed information, click here.

Water: H2O = Life
The American Museum of Natural History today announced a new exhibition, Water: H2O = Life, that will give visitors an in-depth look at one of the most important substances and environmental issues that we face. This exhibition illuminates one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century: humanity’s sustainable management and use of the life-giving, but finite, resource—water. Now until May 2008. For more detailed information on exhibit, click here.

Central Park West at 79th Street
212-769-5100
www.amnh.org