Butterflies will continue spreading their wings through May 28 at the American Museum of Natural History (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
American Museum of Natural History
Hall of Oceanic Birds, Second Floor
Central Park West & 79th St.
Through May 28
Timed tickets: $25 adults, $14.50 children, includes museum admission
212-769-5100
www.amnh.org
butterfly conservatory slideshow
There are only a few more days to see hundreds of butterflies from dozens of species flying free in the conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History, using their amazing proboscis to suck up orange juice, resting on leaves, and eating a sugar-and-water mixture from colorful hanging disks. The butterflies will land on you, so don’t make any sudden movements or scratch that itch — it might be a blue morpho resting on your head. Many of these insects from the Order Lepidoptera live for only a few weeks, so there living life to the fullest while they can. Make sure to check out the pupae case, where butterflies burst out of their cocoons every day. (Don’t miss the golden necklaces that form on the queen casings.) For a taste of what you’re in for, visit the excellent Web site listed above; there you’ll find a live Web cam, prerecorded movie clips, a navigable virtual tour, and plenty of reading material on the butterfly’s anatomy, metamorphosis, evolution, and defense mechanisms as well as current methods of ecology and conservation.