May 26, 2001 - September 3, 2001
Starting May 26, 2001 the Reading Public Museum will be presenting a super summer exhibit - BUTTERFLIES!! The exhibit is a combination of three separate displays that include Mengel's Butterflies, Butterflies of Berks County and Butterflies Alive! Awesome is the best way to describe this exhibit triad which will present an enhanced learning experience with a historic view of butterfly collecting, a display of local butterflies and a close up view of live butterflies.
Mengel's Butterflies will give the public a rare opportunity to view over a thousand butterflies from the one-of-a-kind collection of Museum founder, Dr. Levi Mengel. There's the Blue Morpho from South America with its vibrant blue iridescence and 4-in. wingspan, or the Queen Alexandria Bird Wing from Southeast Asia which has the largest wingspan in the world at 5-in., or finally the Metal Marks from South America, a smaller butterfly with a wingspan of only an inch, but full of vibrant oranges, blues and yellows with metallic looking flakes. These butterflies are perfectly preserved and many of the exotic specimens will be on view for the first time in over thirty years. This exhibit is located in our Cove Gallery.
Butterflies of Berks County by Karl Gardner, President of the Mengel Natural History Society, will colorfully show a variety of butterflies from our local Berks County area. Beautiful photographs and mounted specimens will educate you on the common and scientific names and locations where you can find these butterflies yourself! Interactive, hands-on activities and a video for kids will round out this unique exhibit. This exhibit is located in our Central Gallery.
The final portion of this super summer event is Butterflies Alive! - back by popular demand! Watch nature unfold in the Museum's greenhouse. It will be transformed into a butterfly house featuring a variety of plants and live butterflies found throughout Berks County and Pennsylvania. You'll see all the stages from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly! Admission to Butterflies Alive! is $2 Adults, $1 Children 4 to 17 and free to Members and Children under 4.
A special thanks to our Major Sponsors...
Berks County Horticulture Club
Friends of the Reading Museum
B.L. Jefferis
Main Street Bank
Reading Eagle Company
Dr. Robert and Mrs. Linda Rudolph
...and all our Supporting Sponsors!
Robert Metzger, Ph.D
Director, CEO, Chief Curator Reading Public Museum
Reading Public Museum
500 Museum Road, Reading, PA 19611
Telephone: 610.371.5850
Planetarium Telephone: 610.371-5850 ext.244
Copyright © 2002 Reading Public Museum.
All rights reserved.
