As Mother’s Day approaches, we’re reminded of all of the hard-working, loving, and caring moms out there. I have three little boys of my own and I know what I’ll be doing, soaking up quality time with them and enjoying the sweet hand-written notes and beautiful pictures. While we’re all making plans and deciding what […]
There is a new addition to the Cockrell Butterfly Center Insect Zoo, a colony of leaf-cutter ants housed in a brand new exhibit! This leaf-cutter ant (Atta cephalotes) colony was acquired by the Cockrell Butterfly Center about 2.5 years ago from Guatemala. It began as a small, “softball-sized” colony that now has grown many times […]
Lecture – Beauty and Morphology of Insects by Erin Mills Characteristics and adaptations of these unique and misunderstood creatures will be explored by Erin Mills, Director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Living exotic beetles, giant katydids, walking sticks, hissing cockroaches, beautiful butterflies and other exciting arthropods will compliment this special presentation and tour of the […]
With National Pollinator Week behind us, it may be easy to focus on other issues and forget that pollinators need our help to bounce back. While many people only envision little honeybees when they think about pollinators, they couldn’t be a more diverse group of animals, including mammals, birds, insects, and even reptiles! Here […]
In 2013 a unique aberration made its appearance at the Cockrell Butterfly Center. A Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) butterfly emerged from its chrysalis with a perfect bilateral split down the center of its body. One side of the butterfly was male, the other was female. Since the Great Southern White is a sexually dimorphic […]
Every year on Valentine’s Day, we in the Cockrell Butterfly Center like to think about all our favorite insects and the methods they use to find mates. From special pheromones to elaborate mating rituals, every insect has a way to find a mate (or more often, multiple mates)! It’s the smell that counts […]
Busy planning your holiday shopping list that you haven’t even thought about your own wish list? We’ve created a list of 12 unique items that you’ll fall in love with. Pharaoh’s Sand Timer $34.95 Made of cold cast resin and hand painted, the Pharaoh’s sand timer lasts for 5 minutes. One end features the […]
Lecture – The Archives War – The True Story of Moving the Capital of Texas from Houston to Austin by The Archives War was a seminal moment in the history of Texas–and our city Houston. The Archives War helped settle the debate on where the capital of Texas would be, and very few know about […]
By Theresa Freiburger, Horticulturalist/Greenhouse Manager at the Cockrell Butterfly Center Mimicry, in the biological sense, is when an animal closely resembles another animal or plant. Mimicry happens in all shapes and colors throughout the animal kingdom. Some mimic the environment, like a leaf or a stick, while others have evolved to mimic other insects. What […]
Here’s what’s happening at HMNS this week! EVENING FILM SCREENING – “Amazon Adventure 3D” with Erin Mills, Director of Cockrell Butterfly Center Tuesday, June 14, 6:30 p.m. As a young man, Henry Bates risked his life for science in the 1850s. “Amazon Adventure 3D” tells the epic, true story of the explorer’s fascinating 11-year journey through […]
