THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605140150
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Spectators won't be permitted to catch them in a net or grab them with their hands but they will be within arm's reach of some 300 free-flying butterflies.
``Dancing Butterflies,'' an exhibit at the Virginia Zoo starting Friday and running through May 27, will allow a special, up-close experience with the delicate creatures.
Some 15 to 24 species of North American butterflies will be showcased in a 3,000-square-foot tent landscaped with flowers and plants that will allow the insects to be shown in all four stages of their life cycle.
``It's called `Dancing Butterflies' because of their courting dance,'' said Debbie Thomas, the zoo's director of special events.
Visitors will be able to walk through a nearly hands-on aerial display of color and finesse. Some species - including the monarch, zebra swallowtail and common sulfur butterfly - are native to this area.
The show is a nationwide traveling production of Bill Hill's ``Butterflies In Flight,'' a permanent exhibit in Naples, Fla. This marks the first time this show has come to the zoo and is especially significant because the facility has plans to renovate the old conservatory into a butterfly house.
The proposed renovation is being considered as part of phase one of the zoo's master plan, a long-term project that will reshape the zoo into a world continents theme, tentatively scheduled to start in 1998.
More than 1,000 flowers and plants will provide the habitat for the insect's life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly. The creatures can reach speeds of nearly 20 mph and have been recorded flying as high as 15,416 feet.
In addition to the aviary tent, there will be auxiliary exhibits of educational materials and a 12-minute video on the insects.
The show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Prices are $3 for adults, $2 for children, in addition to the zoo's admission fee of $2 for adults and $1 for children. Groups are encouraged to call ahead for reservations. Call 626-0803. by CNB