2nd September 2010DORCHESTER: Butterflies go on show at museum
by Anita Harries
Some of nature’s most delicate and exquisitely coloured creations came to the Dorset County Museum in an exhibition held by the Dorset Branch of Butterfly Conservation.
With the county now boasting four reserves dedicated to the conservation of butterflies and moths, the exhibition was a wonderful opportunity for children to learn all about these beautiful creatures and how we can help safeguard them from extinction.
Plenty of information was on hand, with advice on how to make your garden a haven for butterflies and how to spot the many different species native to our county.
As well as museum specimens and some amazing photographs, there were some live butterflies to enjoy.
Among these were the incredible Indian leaf butterfly, and several species from South America including the morpho, a butterfly so brilliantly blue in colour it can be spotted by planes flying above the Amazon rain forests.
Among the array of information boards and video displays, children had the opportunity to create their own butterflies and complete a question and answer sheet on the exhibits.
“Butterflies – A Message from the Psyche” is the latest book from professor Phillip Howse, and he was at the museum to promote his book and allow visitors an insight into this incredible wonderland of the butterfly.
Based around the mimicry of the world of the butterfly and the moth, it explores the phenomena of visual perception, illusion and reality and the clever way in which they employ colour and pattern to confuse and deceive their predators.
The photographs within this book are stunning and the whole volume is full of surprises.
More information about the Dorset Branch of Butterfly Conservation can be found on their website www.dorsetbutterflies.com or www.butterfly-conservation.org, or by emailing info@butterfly-conservation.org.
PICTURE: Learning about butterfly conservation
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