Butterfly house re-opens in Rio

Among the events held as part of the National Science and Technology Week, whose theme this year is “Light, Science, and Life,” the Butterfly House of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) was re-opened last week at the Museum of Life, in north Rio de Janeiro, under the sponsorship of the foundation. Visits are interactive and feature plants and butterflies from the American continent.

The insectarium currently houses four butterfly species— the owl butterfly (Caligo eurilochus brasiliensis), the orange-tipped angled-sulphur (Anteos menippe), the julia butterfly (Dryas iulia), and the great southern white (Ascia monuste)—and mimic their natural habitat. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about their life cycle, eating habits, survival skills, and the secret behind their colors.

According to researcher Ricardo Lourenço, who conceived the project, the goal is to enable visitors to see how a butterfly lives, from its early stages as a caterpillar up to adulthood. “The butterfly house was shut down for a while, because were were exhibitors only. Now we've been registered as scientific raisers and we can offer the public the experience of living the butterflies of a number of species,” he explained.

The Fiocruz Butterfly House will be part of the Museum of Life tour, alongside attractions like the Science Park, Science on the Scene, the Biodiversity Zone, and the traditional Fiocruz Castle. According to Diego Bevilaqua, chief of the museum, the conservatory aims to raise people's awareness about biodiversity, with special emphasis on the Atlantic Rainforest and its preservation.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira