Special Exhibition: Sweet – A Tasty Journey Opens May 12th at HMNS At Sugar Land! GET TICKETS Opens May 12, 2017 Unwrap a world of flavorful fun in an interactive and magical setting! Explore the world of all that’s sweet as you learn about candy ingredients from a ‘farm to fork’ perspective. Get the stories […]
Road trips…they’re fun, but rough on your car’s paint job! Why? Bug splatter! We are all familiar with the mess all over the front of our cars from driving, especially long distances. But, what you may not know is all of the science that can be found in all of those little dead bug bodies, […]
Here at the Cockrell Butterfly Center, we make every effort to inspire wonder and interest in the natural world — especially in the under-appreciated area of insects and their relatives. Butterflies are a great ambassador for the insect world since they tend to be admired by most people. Many other insects rouse feelings of fear […]
Valentines Day is quickly approaching. Have you thought of what to get that special someone? What better way is there to woo the woman of your dreams other than say, giving her a small dead animal wrapped in silk? Ladies, are you really looking to snag a date for Valentines Day? Tell your man that you’ll […]
Mark Your Calendars for these events happening at HMNS August 15 – August 21 NEW EXHIBIT OPENING! Gems of the Sea: The Guido T. Poppe Collection Opens August 19, 2016 World class. One of a kind. Never before seen. Made by mollusks. The Philippines consists of over 7,500 islands in Southeast Asia, totaling a land […]
They say, “home is where the heart is”, and in my case that is true. However, home is also where you say things like, “Don’t kill that Black Widow. I need it…,” or “So………do you have any plans for that dead armadillo?” My parents live on a working ranch, complete with cows and buzzards, hay […]
When I’m maintaining the live exhibits in the Brown Hall of Entomology in the Cockrell Butterfly Center, or giving a tour of our Insect Containment Room, one of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “Where do the bugs come from?” It’s a very good question! Many people ask if we are able to actually collect them, and I wish […]
Here’s a task for you: try to rid your audience of their phobias by taking up-close photos of some of the creepiest bugs in our collection. Some are venomous, some do bite, but as usual, none of them want to hurt humans. Any bite or sting in the world of arthropods is an act of self-protection. […]
HMNS entomologist Erin Mills walks you through how to mount and display a butterfly in this 4-part video tutorial. Part III: Setting the Butterfly Part III continues below: Check back next week for our final installment of this video series.
As the obligate host plants for monarch caterpillars, milkweeds are a staple in any butterfly habitat garden. However, milkweed is not just for monarchs! Many other insects call the genus Asclepias home, giving rise to the concept of a “milkweed village.” Milkweed plants produce bitter tasting toxins called cardiac glycocides, and insects that eat milkweeds […]
