Press Release
For immediate release
The Insectarium Is Closing on January 4
The permanent exhibition will get a complete facelift
Montréal, January 3, 2011 – Starting January 4, the Montréal Insectarium will be embarking on a complete facelift to its permanent exhibition for the first time in twenty years. The insect museum will be closed to the general public for the duration of the work, until early summer 2011.The new exhibition We Are the Insects is a $1.2 million project on the cutting edge of entomological knowledge, looking inside the world of insects. Why are there so many of them? Where do they live? How are they so important to humans? What can we do to protect them? Visitors of all ages will find answers to these questions as they explore the surprising, often unknown world of insects, and come away with a whole new perspective on this fascinating universe.
Butterflies Go Free at the Botanical Garden
While waiting for the new permanent exhibition to open at the Insectarium, the 14th edition of Butterflies Go Free will be taking wing from February 17 to April 25, 2011 in the Botanical Garden’s Main Exhibition Greenhouse. This year’s theme is courtship, and visitors will get a chance to explore the intimate lives of butterflies. Butterflies pull out all the stops when it comes to courting a mate: from splendid colours to heady odours and suggestive dances! But underneath all these charms are all kinds of complex behaviours developed over millennia to ensure the survival of fragile species in the environment.
The Montréal Insectarium
For nearly 21 years, the Montréal Insectarium has made a name for itself for its permanent and temporary exhibitions, its educational activities and its entomological expertise. The insect museum also boasts one of the largest entomological collections in Quebec: a scientific collection of 144,000 specimens and an educational collection with 25,000 specimens. Since it opened in 1990, the Insectarium has had about 350,000 visitors every year.
The renewal of the exhibition of its entomological collections is being made possible by a financial contribution from the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition feminine, under its program to support permanent exhibitions.
For more information: museumsnature.ca
Montréal’s Nature Museums
Montréal’s Nature Museums – the Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium – helping people enjoy nature to the fullest.