- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
DAVIS--What to do the day before Moth’ers Day?
The Bohart Museum of Entomology is planning an open house themed Moth’ers Day, featuring moths, from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
The event, free and open to the public, will take place in Room 1124 of Academic Surge on Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus.
The focus is on moths, most of which are nocturnal, unlike butterflies which fly during the day. Moths of all sizes, shapes, colors and patterns will be displayed, said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.
Scientists will explain the difference between moths and butterflies.
The Bohart Museum, directed by Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis, houses a global collection of nearly eight million insect specimens and is the seventh largest insect collection in North America. It is also the home of the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of the insect biodiversity. Noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007) founded the museum.
Visitors can not only examine drawers of moth specimens, but also can hold such live specimens as Madagascar hissing cockroaches, a rose-haired tarantula and walking sticks.
The gift shop includes t-shirts, jewelry, insect nets, posters and books, including the newly published children’s book, “The Story of the Dogface Butterfly,” written by UC Davis doctoral candidate Fran Keller and illustrated (watercolor and ink) by Laine Bauer, a 2012 graduate of UC Davis. The 35-page book, geared toward kindergarteners through sixth graders, also includes photos by naturalist Greg Kareofelas of Davis, a volunteer at the Bohart.
The book tells the untold story of the California dogface butterfly (Zerene eurydice), Keller said. Bauer’s illustrations depict the life cycle of this butterfly and the children who helped designate it as the California state insect.
The net proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to the education, outreach and research programs of the Bohart Museum. The book can also be ordered online at http://www.bohartmuseum.com/the-story-of-the-dogface-butterfly.html.
Bohart officials schedule weekend open houses throughout the academic year so that families and others who cannot attend on the weekdays can do so on the weekends. The Bohart’s regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The insect museum is closed to the public on Fridays and on major holidays. Admission is free.
The last open house of the academic year is from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 9. The theme is "How to Find Insects."
For further information, contact Yang at tabyang@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0493.