TRUE OR FALSE? THE BROWN RECLUSE IS A COMMON RESIDENT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
FALSE!*
“Walk-through” Spider Pavilion Opens at the Natural History Museum on September 27, Separating Fact from Fiction
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009—The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Spider Pavilion is a unique opportunity to get to know arachnids — dispelling the myths and squashing the common fears that often surround them.
The Spider Pavilion is open to the public from September 27 through November 8, 2009. The walk-through landscaped pavilion is home to hundreds of free roaming spiders. Every day, visitors can check out the spiders’ webs, participate in daily tours that explain the webs’ architecture and engineering, and watch spider “feedings.”
When it debuted five years ago, the Spider Pavilion was the first and only exhibit of its kind in the United States. It was created by NHM Manager of Invertebrate Living Collections, Brent “the Bug Guy” Karner in 2005, and has since been emulated at other museums and science centers.
From the large golden silk spiders of the Nephila genus, to the golden orb weavers of the Argiope genus, famous for their intricate webs and dramatic yellow and black markings, there are roughly 15 local and exotic species of spiders in the Pavilion. Each species spins a unique web, some ranging several feet wide.
The goal in the Pavilion is to convey how harmless and gentle these animals are and how important they are to our ecosystem. Visitors can explore the enclosed greenhouse area independently or there are tours every day the Pavilion is open, guided by exhibition interpreters. Just outside the web-weaving habitat, there is an interpretive area, where museum entomologists display other exotic arachnid species in terrariums.
Spider Pavilion Flashlight Tours
Take our fascinating flashlight tours and celebrate Halloween with us! On Saturdays, October 10 and 17, then Friday, October 30, we invite our visitors to tour the Spider Pavilion after dark, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. During extended Museum hours, these guided flashlight tours let guests watch our arachnids when they are most active — after the sun goes down. Before and after the tours, the Museum offers spider-themed activities. Visitors receive a free flashlight (while supplies last) so they can investigate their own backyards.
Spider Pavilion Special Ticketing
Timed tickets are sold in half-hour intervals throughout the day, with first availability for purchase at 10:00 a.m. and final sale at 4:30 p.m. each day. Adults $3; Students/Seniors $2; Children (5-12) $1. Members receive FREE admission and the first available tickets. Flashlight tours and activities are included with Spider Pavilion admission.
Museum Admission and Hours
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is located at 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm; Tickets are $9 for adults, $6.50 for children. For more information, visit the Museum’s website at www.nhm.org or call (213) 763-DINO.
About the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum’s Board of Trustees has initiated a dynamic, long-term transformation of the institution designed to better position the Museum to fulfill its mission to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility in our natural and cultural worlds. The Museum was the first dedicated museum building in Los Angeles, opening its doors in 1913. It has amassed one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history — with more than 35 million objects, some as old as 4.5 billion years. The Natural History Family of Museums includes the NHM, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits (Hancock Park/Mid-Wilshire), and the William S. Hart Park and Museum (Newhall, California). The Family of Museums serves more than one million families and visitors annually, and is a national leader in research, exhibitions and education.
NHM Next
This spring’s completed renovation of the Beaux-Arts 1913 Building has set the stage for the Museum’s rollout of new visitor experiences leading up to the Museum’s centennial in 2013. The milestone re-opening of the 1913 Building will begin in Summer 2010 with new exhibitions inside its iconic Rotunda and the Age of Mammals galleries. In Summer 2011, the Museum will open Dinosaur Mysteries, the highly-anticipated return of a dedicated dinosaur hall. Under the Sun, an exhibition focusing on the Southern California environmental history will open in Spring 2012.
*Brown recluses are a species common to the Midwest and Southeast of the U.S., and are not found in the Los Angeles area.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kristin Friedrich
(213) 763-3532
Lauren Clark
(213) 763-3580
Lauren Clark
Marketing & Communications
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007
tel. 213.763.3580
fax. 213.743.4846
email lclark@nhm.org
www.nhm.org
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