South American owl butterfly, Caligo idomeneus
Photo: © Debbie Hadley, WILD Jersey

If you're in or near New York City by Memorial Day weekend, head to the American Museum of Natural History before the live butterfly exhibit closes for the year. The AMNH Butterfly Conservatory displays over 500 live butterflies in its indoor tropical rainforest. Volunteers will answer your questions and point out butterflies and moths from all over the world. On a recent visit, I photographed some of the live Lepidopterans in the conservatory, including a banded orange heliconian and the world's largest moth, the Atlas moth.

The American Museum of Natural History is located at Central Park West and 79th Street in New York City. For more information, contact AMNH at (212) 769-5100 or visit their website at www.amnh.org.