Families visiting the Reading Public Museum this summer can step into the life of a butterfly while learning about rainforest conservation through the museum’s newest interactive exhibition.
Butterfly Odyssey opened June 15 and will remain on display through Aug. 30 in the museum’s temporary exhibition galleries. The hands-on exhibit combines role-playing activities with lessons about sustainability, rainforest ecosystems and butterfly farming.
The exhibition invites visitors to experience the challenges butterflies face in the wild, where only a small percentage of caterpillars survive to adulthood. Participants can navigate obstacles such as predators, spider webs and plant traps as they learn about the butterfly life cycle.
Visitors can also explore the world of butterfly farming, a practice that allows farmers to raise butterflies for profit while helping protect native butterfly populations and preserving rainforest habitats. Interactive activities include collecting butterfly eggs, feeding caterpillars, experiencing metamorphosis and preparing butterfly chrysalids for shipment around the world.
Along the way, guests learn about other sustainable rainforest industries, including fair-trade crafts, organic farming and farmer-owned coffee cooperatives.
According to museum officials, the exhibit is designed to help visitors understand the relationship between economic opportunity and environmental stewardship. Butterfly farming is presented as an example of how communities can generate income while reducing pressure on rainforest ecosystems.
The exhibit also highlights the global importance of tropical rainforests. In addition to producing familiar products such as bananas, chocolate and coffee, rainforests play a significant role in oxygen production and provide habitat for nearly half of the world’s animal species.
Museum officials said the exhibition encourages visitors to consider how sustainable practices can help balance human needs with environmental conservation, ensuring resources remain available for future generations.
Butterfly Odyssey is included with museum admission and is open during regular museum hours through Aug. 30.
The Reading Public Museum is a dynamic center of lifelong learning, that collects, preserves, and interprets objects of art, science, and civilization to engage, educate, and enlighten current and future generations from our diverse communities. RPM is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Admission per day is: $14 adults (18-64), $8 children/seniors/college students (w/ID) and free to Members and children three years old and under. Currently enrolled Reading School District students and up to five accompanying guests receive free regular Museum admission and free admission to public Neag Planetarium shows with proof of enrollment. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit Online: www.readingpublicmuseum.org.