A visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science yielded a wonderful surprise. During my sojourn to my company headquarters in Houston, Texas, I used my free weekend to visit one of the most interesting sightseeing places there – The Museum of Natural Science. While I was superficially aware of its attractions, the Butterfly Center coupled with the Hall of Entomology was like an exciting find – a wondrous hidden gem.
A Specially Designed Natural Habitat
The butterfly conservatory is a 3-story glass structure which has been built to emulate a tropical rainforest. It is home to thousands of butterflies of varied species, which are all allowed to grow and thrive in their natural habitat. The butterfly museum, called the Cockrell Butterfly Center, boasts of a central display of a 50-foot-high waterfall and numerous tropical plants and flowers.
Upon entering, my senses were hit with an explosion of colours and movement. Unlike zoos or other museums, these butterflies are live ones and roam around freely in the simulated forest. The innumerable brightly coloured creatures are a delight to watch. I spent ages going around the place, watching these butterflies and their vivid patterned wings, observing the jewel like insects fluttering about or landing on the leaves or flowers. There was also an iguana!
Entomology Hall
The Brown Hall of Entomology precedes the Butterfly Center; it is located on the same floor as the entrance to the latter. The entire floor is dedicated to a large plethora of insects and their study. The experience is an interactive and educating one. From introducing me to new species and hitherto unknown insects to informing me about the sounds they make to their food habits and their life cycles.
There are both live insects as well as preserved specimens The exhibit also contains an area for cocoons from where butterflies actually hatch out! That is something to look out for. There is another play area for further interaction and games with these arthropods. I did not visit that because it was more for kids.
Tip: Learn more here –
- The Rainforest
- Hall of Entomology
- https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/our-residents/
- https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/pollinator-gardening/
Education and Conservation
While this is mostly an educational experience, this museum does its part in conservation of nature. Breeding new insects, creating a natural, sustainable environment for them goes a long way towards preservation of nature as it was meant to be. Bringing about awareness and knowledge leads to appreciation of God’s creatures which in turn help the next generation carry on the job of environmental preservation and enhancement.
I am doing my bit by raising awareness through this post with the aid of Blogchatter’s Cause a Chatter campaign.
Other Exhibits of Interest
The Houston Museum of Natural Science has various other highly interesting exhibits and shows. Notable ones are:
- The Paleontology Exhibit – let’s face it, dinosaurs are always interesting!
- Foucault Pendulum – mimicking the Earth’s rotation.
- Hall of Gems and Minerals
- The Planetarium – the Black Holes show is very interesting, and I highly recommend it.
Tip: The museum is full of interesting attractions, you may want to check out the various offerings online to help plan your visit. The HMNS.
Tip: Entry tickets are for $25 while the special exhibits and shows require extra tickets. Butterfly Center (including Entomology Hall) is ~$9.
Check current prices here – https://www.hmns.org/visit/hours-and-pricing/. Also check out the safety policies and precautions: https://www.hmns.org/visit/health/
Wow! A butterfly museum sounds like such a heavenly place. I would love to visit someday..