Who says Durham lacks the exotic?
Butterflies from Thailand, Kenya and a range of tropical ecosystems in between now make their home at the Museum of Life and Science's new Magic Wings Butterfly House, which will be unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon. The exhibit will open to the public April 17.
"A lot of people think science is for someone else," said Thomas Krakauer, the museum's president. "But enjoying butterflies is for everyone-they symbolize beauty, and poetry and motion.... We expect [the exhibit] to be very popular."
The glass-enclosed butterfly house-the region's first-will host a stream garden and a showcase of tropical vegetation, including the commercially important vanilla orchid and coffee plants, as well as the carnivorous pitcher plants.
But the facility's 200 species of butterflies are the true main attraction. Beauties like the white Paper Kite of Asia and the iridescent Blue Morpho of South America flit and fly and will occasionally rest upon the shoulder of a surprised visitor-if one is still enough.
The new exhibit is expected to draw 400,000
"Kids tend to just stop and look around and realize that if they're quiet they'll see more, that there's an engaging world around them," said Marianne Friend, vice president for development and public relations. "They really do respect nature."
The glass-enclosed butterfly house, along with an insectarium scheduled to open at the end of the year, constitute Phase I of BioQuest, the museum's $15-million, 40-acre expansion initiative.
Catch the Wind, a presentation about the biomechanics of flight, and Down to Earth, a collection of lemurs, bears and red wolves, will be the keystones of Phase II, along with an outdoor trail of life-size dinosaur models and an interactive bone dig.
"We want people to learn more than just the majesty of science," Krakauer said. "We want them to come here and really do the science."
For example, he said, the bear exhibit will include infrared detectors so that visitors can "see" the different temperatures of bears in their habitat, and an on-site learning lab will introduce the biology of adaptation, genetics and botany to butterfly-house visitors.
The average butterfly lives only two to four weeks, and because strict control of butterfly operations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits butterflies from reproducing, the museum will receive regular shipments of chrysalises-butterfly "cocoons"-from farms throughout Africa, Asia and Central and South America.
The museum and the butterfly house have several ties to Duke. Zoology professor Fred Nijhout was one of the key consultants to ensure the house's "butterflyability," said Krakauer, and President Nan Keohane will deliver the keynote address at this afternoon's opening.
In addition, a recent grant from the Burroughs-Welcome fund will provide financing for a Duke graduate student to work with the museum's Youth Partners program to apply concepts like territorialism to the exhibit.
The Museum of Life and Science is a private non-profit center open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5.50 for children 3-12.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.