New: A Bigger Butterfly Pavilion at NHM

Those flittering ambassadors of spring-like days will return for a fall appearance.

While the butterfly president of all the butterflies everywhere hasn't yet requested a trademark on springtime, it isn't too much of a wing-stretch to say that the floweriest of seasons is the one we associate with the flittery flying insects.

Summer, too, is synonymous with the butterfly, but, of course, the winged denizens of our gardens visit our region throughout the year (look to the Central Coast in winter, when the migrating Monarch turnout is wall-to-wall, or at least eucalypus-to-eucalyptus, in some butterfly-rich areas).

With this in mind, butterfly buffs best start preparing to associate autumn with these happy-hued petal-landers. For the Natural History Museum just revealed that its famous Butterfly Pavilion is getting another go, for a full month, starting in the middle of September.

But this isn't the Butterfly Pavilion you know, if you've visited the springtime walk-through experience in the past; rather, it is a "re-designed and re-built" space that is described as both "airy and roomier."

Some perks for the residents? The 25 North American butterfly species that call the updated pavilion home will have "more vertical fly space" as well as "a rounded structure."

And, for sure, they'll still gently alight upon nearby humans, if such a notion suits them (bright colors and smells can play a part here).

And if you're sensing more light as you stroll through, know your luminescence detection skills are up to par — there will be more light.

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The autumn dates for the Butterfly Pavilion are Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 16, and while the structure is described as "permanent" the museum hasn't yet said if butterflies will make more regular cameos throughout the year.

You can also spot the critters winging about the Natural History Museum's extensive on-site Nature Gardens, though whether they choose to visit your shoulder or forearm is, literally, up in the air.

While this is the first-ever fall Butterfly Pavilion for the Exposition Park science institution, fear not that it will replace another outdoorsy insect extravangaza, one that is an autumn staple for the museum. The Spider Pavilion is expected to return to its own space in September or October of 2016, though there are no dates yet as to when it'll begin to spin its wonderful web.

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