Lecture – Murder, Mayhem and Death By Natural Causes by Nicole Temple Calling all fans of true crime! Join exhibit curator and fellow true-crime enthusiast Nicole Temple for a lecture regarding the darker side of Death By Natural Causes. As this lecture will contain a bit of murder and mayhem, it is not recommended for […]
Lecture – What Makes Us Human? Lessons from the Study of Wild Chimpanzees by John Mitani This evening leading Primate behavioral ecologist John Mitani will reveal interesting parallels between humans and chimpanzees with respect to friendships, longevity and cooperation. Humans form long-lasting friendships, live a very long time, and are an unusually prosocial and cooperative […]
Butterfly gardening is a great thing to do in the fall. Even though most butterflies will be settling down for the winter in the next few months, your garden will be ready with lots of host and nectar plants for next year’s butterflies. To get you started, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting […]
They float on the wind, decorate your back yard in the spring and summer, and inspire warm emotions with their delicate wings. They seem carefree, at home in any meadow, but butterflies have more specific needs than we might imagine. As urban sprawl continues to grow, reducing green space and native plant growth, natural butterfly […]
We are sorry to disappoint monarch enthusiasts, but the Cockrell Butterfly Center has decided not to sell tropical milkweed (aka Mexican milkweed, Asclepias curassavica) any more. Instead, we will have a limited quantity of native milkweeds for sale. Recently, biologists studying monarchs have discovered that tropical milkweed may be a factor in the spread of […]
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 […]
Editor’s Note: After four and a half years, Zac Stayton, Horticulturist for the Cockrell Butterfly Center, is leaving HMNS for a new job as a Project Manager for the grower Color Spot. I sat down with him this week to discuss his time at HMNS, his favorite projects and what he’ll be up to next. Vincent […]
