Have you ever wondered where the insects of the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the National Museum of Natural History come from? According to past blog post, A History of Celebrating the Insect Zoo:
Some of the arthropods are obtained from museum professionals and biological supply companies, while others are collected in the wild by staff and amateur arthropod hunters.
During a scanning project in our cold vault, I came across a collection of images from the early years of the Insect Zoo, August 1972 to be exact. The collection shows Smithsonian staff members, volunteers and their families venturing out to local fields, woods, and even monuments to gather specimens for the exhibit; from turning over leaves, digging in fallen logs, filtering out water in streams, and even at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This collection shows how determined these people were on providing an exceptional learning experience at the museum.
Related Resources
- A History of Celebrating the Insect Zoo, The Bigger Picture, Smithsonian Institution Archives
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