What's More Fun Than Netting a Butterfly?

What's more fun that netting a butterfly?

Netting two (or more) butterflies.

UC Davis doctoral candidate and dragonfly researcher Christofer Brothers showed youngsters how to net butterflies--paper butterflies, that is--at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sept. 28. The open house dealt with collecting, pinning identifying and labeling insects.

And appropriately enough, two brothers delighted in testing their skills: Braden Nguyen, 3, and Owen, 18 months old, of Davis. Their mother and grandmother accompanied them. "My three children all visited the Bohart Museum when they were growing up," said grandmother Kathy Bechtold of Davis, "and loved it."

It's a generational thing!

The open house, themed  "Museum Fundamentals 101" or "Museum ABCs: Arthropods, Bohart and Collecting," drew some 300 visitors, ranging from toddlers to senior citizens. Displays lined the Bohart Museum and the hallway of the Academic Surge Building.

Among those sharing their knowledge was UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, a professor at Folsom Lake College and a lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Entomology andNematology. Keller, a Bohart research associate, showed and discussed collecting equipment, and emphasized the importance of insect collections. (See more on the Sept. 28th open house)

Braden and Owen were especially interested in the bee vacuums, a favorite of the late Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor. He eagerly showed youngsters how to vacuum bees in the UC Davis Bee Haven, and then how to identify them and release them. 

The Bohart Museum, the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus.  In addition to the petting zoo, it includes an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hoodies, books, posters and jewelry, among other items. Director is Professor Jason Bond,  the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 

All the open houses are free and family friendly. Parking is also free. The next open house, themed "Specialized Predators of Insects," is set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2.  Featured will be two doctoral students who study predators: Christofer Brothers of the Stacey Combs lab, who researches dragonflies, and Emma Jochim of the Jason Bond lab, arachnids. Public talks will take place from 1 to 1:30 p.m. in a Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology classroom (next door to the Bohart Museum). The Bohart will be open from 1:30 to 4 p.m. 

"There will be live arachnid feedings on the hour, hands-on activities, and carnivorous plants for sale," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.