NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The newly remodeled Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans is a cornucopia of creeping and crawling critters.
“We have a brighter, fresher look to everything. I think the exhibits themselves pop a little more. We have about 55 live animal exhibits and then in our presentation areas, we sort of have a rotating cast of arthropods that we will bring out and show you, such that on any given day a guest walking through here will see close to a hundred different kinds of arthropods or bugs,” said Audubon Insectarium Animal Collections Curator Zack Lemann.
Zack loves his job, so much so, that he sings about it with fellow bug lover, Jayme Necaise. The duo calls themselves G.W.E. (Geeky, Wacky, Entomologists).
WGNO went on a tour of the new state-of-the-art establishment, starting with monarch butterflies and fireflies following your every move.
“We hope that we’ve connected people to nature. We want people to be empathetic and appreciative of these animals. They are animals. A lot of people don’t even know that insects are animals. If they leave here understanding that insects have value, they’re inherently interesting, they’re important for ecological function and they’re worth saving and protecting, then we’ve won. We’ve done our job,” said Lemann.
One highlight of the Insectarium that hasn’t changed is that visitors still have the opportunity to eat bugs.
A spectacular end to the tour is with the 20 species of butterflies. If you want to see them flying around, the trick is to make an early visit.
“Butterflies are powered by the sun, so you want a nice bright day to maximize the activity of your butterflies. If you come earlier in the day, you’re always going to get a better flight. So, by the time say 3-4 o’clock rolls around on most days, there’s a little less movement in here,” said Lemann.
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