The Butterflies are Coming: Live at the Museum

The Museum of Natural History in Halifax is kicking-off summer 2000 by bringing back one of last year's most popular displays. Live, exotic butterflies will once again make-up the Butterfly Pavilion which officially opens on Saturday, July 1.

This summer visitors can admire the marvels of nature's winged wonders. Catching sight of colourful, exotic butterflies skipping from flower to flower, gathering nectar, is something that many have come to enjoy.

Visitor Elizabeth Stuppiello of Halifax said, "My children are already asking when can we go back to the museum to see the pretty butterflies."

Every two weeks a new shipment of 100 chrysalises - with about 20 exotic species - raised at a butterfly farm in England, will arrive at the museum. If you are lucky you might be around to watch as a new butterfly emerges.

Once the butterfly's wings dry, it joins other live butterflies in the museum's walk-in Butterfly Pavilion. Here, visitors can observe beautiful butterflies nectaring from a special selection of fruit and plantings. Witnessing this natural phenomenon is exciting and having the butterflies flutter all around you provides an up-close and personal experience.

"Visitors can count on the museum for close-up experiences of real nature and bright young naturalists to listen to their stories and answer their questions," said museum director Debra Burleson.

Live exhibits are available at the museum every day during July and August. At the Millennium Bugs exhibit, the insect zoo provides an opportunity for visitors to be tickled by 230 legs of a giant millepede as it walks up your arm.

Hungry? Check out the Bug Bistro for Cooking with Bugs, where museum chefs are cooking up real mealworms each day at 11 a.m. The Marvels of Our Ocean come alive at the sea-life aquariums complete with starfish, lobster, crabs, dogwelks and more.

Gus, the museum's resident 78-year-old tortoise, is one of the museum's most popular live displays and he has been charming generations of children visiting the museum for more than 50 years. In addition, the buzz that can be heard at the museum comes from the in-house bee colony.

For more information on the butterfly exhibit visit the website at www.chin.gc.ca/~moth99/Butterflies/english/index.html . The Museum of Natural History is located at 1747 Summer St., Halifax, beside the Halifax Public Gardens. Admission is charged and parking is free for visitors.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The first shipment of butterflies arrives Thursday, June 22, and they will begin emerging soon after. The Butterfly Pavilion should be in full-swing by Wednesday, June 28. Media are invited to obtain photos and an informative tour of the Pavilion with museum curator Alex Wilson on the afternoon of Thursday, June 29, or the morning of Friday, June 30. Please call Brenda Boutilier at 902-424-6513 to arrange.