Subject: Live Leps exhibit in Phila.: The Review

From: [email-masked] (PA AVOCET)
Date: 26 Feb 1995 12:34:23 -0500

From: [email-masked]
Sandy Sherman
912 North St.
Collingdale, PA 19023
SUBJECT: Promised review of Live Leps at Academy of Natural 
    Sciences in Phila.

   For those of us who live in colder climes, the chance to observe living
butterflies in the winter months is practically nil. But I had the chance
to cheat the season a little, thanks to 
the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia's new exhibit,
"Butterflies: Live and in Color," which continues through  May 29, 1995.
Eventually, the exhibit is expected to have about 16 species in various
stages of their life cycles. Exhibit curators say this is the only
large-scale live-butterfly exhibit ever assembled under artificial light.
   At the members' preview on Feb. 15, only 6 species were already flying:
mostly Orange-barred Sulphur (Phoebis philea), Zebra Longwing (Heliconius
charitonia) and Malachite (Siproeta steleus), with a few Palamedes
Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes), Julia (Dryas julia cillene) and Cloudless
Sulphur (Phoebis sennae).
  The "live" part of the exhibit is a big room that's kept in the 80s
(degrees F), with humidity above 60%. Many of the plants are tropical,
with nectaring plants appropriate to the species flying at any given time.
   Along a side wall are two sets of windows, which look into the areas
where the caterpillars and pupae are being raised. In one set on windows,
pots of mallow and parsley are in view, as well as the artificial medium
used for Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui).
   In the second set of windows, the sashes are open both at the top and
bottom. A few inches behind the panes of glass is a wall lined with
corkboard, on which various species of pupae hang, 
 pinned through whatever the caterpillars attached to -- stem, leaf,
napkin. There were perhaps 12-25 of each, so the viewer not only learns
what the chrysalis looks like, but also  gets a feel for variation in
size, shape, color and age. 
   The Malachites, for example, which are shaped much as the Monarch
(Dannaus plexippus) pupa, are a beautiful green. But the ones that are
almost black are close to emerging.
   When the butterflies do emerge, they will flutter to the base of the
windowsill and, when their wings are dry, will fly INTO the live butterfly
exhibit area, where their nectar plants are waiting for them. 
   When I return, I'll try to remember three things I didn't think of the
first time through: dress light (I erred in wearing clothes for 20 degrees
outside, not 85 inside), dress bright (one guy wearing a large red button
had butterflies trying to land on him all evening) and bring binoculars
(the close-focus kind, of course). 
  Outside the "live" part are your standard museum exhibitions: Specimens,
 photos, information on butterfly gardening; tracking  migration;
conservation efforts. One wall is set aside to discuss the pros and cons
of collecting. 
  The mounted/pinned specimens reflect both a local and international
flavor:  There are spectacular samples of fritillaries, blues,
swallowtails, etc.,  from all over the world, borrowed from the Academy's
entomology department, as well as a case of 42 pinned skippers found in
the Philadelphia vicinity. Comments attached  note, for example, that the
Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), a Southern wanderer, was relatively
abundant in South Jersey in 1994, and that the Sachem (Atalopedes
campestris), which some years is abundant here, was hard to find last
summer. 
   This display gives the exhibit-goer a chance to study the local
skippers, but it is limited only to males of the species (the butterflies,
that is).
   Among the other live species in the exhibit are VIceroy (Limenitis
archippus), White Peacock (Anertia jatrophae), Polydamas Swallowtail
(Battus polydamas), Queen (Danaus gilippus), Monarch and Giant Swallowtail
(Papilio cresphontes).
    And, finally, yes, there are a few references to  moths as well,
although there are no live moths. I was very impressed with the Owls
Heads.
   A three-page resource guide, put together by Jon Gelhaus and Jane
Ruffin, lists gardening and identification books, interest groups, local
hot spots, study and collections and even e-mail info (but not this one!).
   The Academy has set up a BUTTERFLY HOTLINE -- 215-299-3794.
   The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia is located at 19th St.
and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to
Friday, and 10 to 5 Saturday,  Sunday and holidays. Admission: $6.50 for
ages 13 and older, $6 for senior citizens, $5.50 for children 3-12, and
free to Academy members and children under 3. For information, call
215-299-1000. (Ask about safe discount parking nearby.)

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 04:42:29 GMT

[email-masked] (PA AVOCET) writes:

>   For those of us who live in colder climes, the chance to observe
>living butterflies in the winter months is practically nil. But I had the
>chance to cheat the season a little, thanks to the Academy of Natural
>Sciences in Philadelphia's new exhibit,"Butterflies: Live and in Color,"
>which continues through May 29, 1995. 

For those of you not fortunate enough to be in or get to Philadelphia, the
Academy has a WWW module on-line which describes the exhibit it. Visit it at:

URL = http://www.acnatsci.org/http_docs/butterfly.html

Happy exploring!

Christopher Majka

--
Christopher Majka
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Internet: <[email-masked]> & <[email-masked]>
Home Page: URL = http://www.cfn.cs.dal.ca/~aa051