Tag archives: butterflies
This hand-colored etching of butterflies was produced in the late 18th century by Carl Gustav Jablonsky, an artist/naturalist who was also the private secretary to the queen of Prussia. This page was part of the book Natural System of All Known Domestic and Foreign Insects (1783–1806), an 11-volume set that formed one of the most […]
This vivid orange butterfly is Anaea andria (formerly Paphia troglodyta). The image is mostly a real butterfly, preserved by a unique type of print: the lepidochrome. They are made by pressing a prepared specimen of a butterfly or moth onto printing paper treated with a thin coat of gum arabic adhesive. The body of the […]
Most natural history museum collections are organized by the evolutionary relationships between species. Many drawers provide an in-depth view of a particular species or genus. This drawer is different: it’s what curators call a synoptic collection because it provides an overview of something – in this case, moth species found in Ventura County. These moths […]
This elegant hand-colored engraving is now on display in The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. It’s one of many antique natural history prints that collectively depict how the science of entomology has been furthered by the passion of collectors and the skill of artists. The butterflies pictured here […]
Looking at this moth “picture” may topple you into the uncanny valley – it’s mostly a real moth, from a species now known as Hyalophora cecropia. This page from a rare book in the library at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History features an astounding type of print: a lepidochrome. For each image, a prepared […]
The Madagascan Sunset Moth, Chrysiridia rhipheus, was initially described as a butterfly, due to its brilliant colors. However, it lacks the clubbed antennae characteristic of butterflies and therefore is indeed a moth! These moths, which are only found on the island of Madagascar, are toxic to predators when consumed, and advertise their toxicity with their […]
If you’ve ever visited the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Butterflies Alive! exhibit at the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion, it won’t come as a surprise that USA Today ranked it among the top three butterfly exhibits in the nation. Walking through the display feels like stepping into a dreamlike realm, surrounded by creatures so stunning […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum new exhibition The Swiftest Recovery: Island Fox Chronicles, features a photographic showcase by Chuck Graham (who also contributes to the MJ) that highlights one of the most remarkable conservation success stories in recent history – the tiny fox at Channel Islands National Park. This exhibition, which offers a glimpse into […]
Monarch butterflies don’t make any noise, but it was way too quiet in the dense eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, CA. It felt like there was no life at all in this damp riparian corridor along the wave-battered North Coast. Not seeing any orange flutters was deflating. With our binoculars, […]
Nature lovers unite, it is time for the annual live butterfly expo at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, on now through September 2. The exhibit is held at the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion at the museum daily (except Tuesdays) from 10 am to 5 pm. There will be over 24 species and over 1,000 […]
Santa Barbara is front and center in a new National Geographic feature declaring “Whales and butterflies are the real celebrities” in our Eden by the Beach. Writer Norie Quintos says the likes of Harry and Meghan, Oprah, and Gwyneth “aren’t the ones followed and fawned over,” but a rich diversity of wildlife like whales and […]
Local award-winning architect Robert Ooley, who spent 30 years researching and writing his first book, Butterfly Wood, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie House West, hosted a boffo bash at the University Club for 70 guests to celebrate the occasion. The 4,500-square-foot property at Hot Springs and Summer Road, the home of writer T.C. Boyle, is the […]
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History – a nonprofit organization founded in 1916 – opens its popular summer exhibit Butterflies Alive! this weekend. For the first time, the exhibit will feature more than a dozen colorful tropical species from Costa Rica. Director of Guest Experience Kim Zsembik shares, “We are excited to welcome these […]
Last October, Santa Barbara City College’s Jim Mooy used the Jamulus audio platform and live-streamed videos of each performer generated via Zoom to direct a synchronous audio and video stream of a university ensemble performance of SBCC’s Lunch Break Jazz Ensemble concert. This week, Mooy lends his expertise to his counterparts at UCSB’s Music Department, […]
The population of western monarch butterflies — the majestic insects that migrate from nearby states to spend the cold months in groves of trees between Marin County and San Diego — has declined more than 99 percent since the 1980s, a dramatic drop that has sadly been verified by their disappearance from our own famous […]
A free, public event on butterfly gardening was launched for the first time on Saturday, March 30 at the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden in the Butterfly Garden area. Janet Rogers and Jo Bardsley coordinated the event with Linda Baity, the Coordinator for the Master Gardener Program of Santa Barbara County at the University of […]
