Hyalophora cecropia (Photo courtesy Sam Jaffe)
For the sixth year running, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will host educator and nature photographer Samuel Jaffe and The Caterpillar Lab from Wednesday through Sunday, July 26-30. A perennial favorite, this exhibit will highlight the diversity and ingenuity of some of New England’s most unusual caterpillars.
“We really love the work of The Caterpillar Lab – you might not think these tiny little creatures would inspire wonder, but Sam Jaffe and his team simply knock people off their feet with their show,” said Daniel Ungier, the gardens’ vice president of guest experience and education. “Everyone, from young children to seasoned biologists, leaves the lab with grins on their faces and a new appreciation for the hidden insect world all around us.”
The Caterpillar Lab is known for its over-the-top, up-close native caterpillar exploration experiences. Visitors will meet many dozens of species, all showcased in open-air displays, including enormous giant silk moth caterpillars, fierce-looking snake-mimicking caterpillars, convincing twig-like caterpillars, and bizarre legless slug caterpillars.
Guests can witness metamorphosis, ecological relationships, and even parasitism, all playing out firsthand at display tables and under digital microscopes. The lab’s experts will be available for those who wish to learn even more.
A nonprofit learning facility, The Caterpillar Lab is a functioning caterpillar-rearing, researching, photographing, filming, and educating facility.
“The Caterpillar Lab is all about finding wonder in the unexpected,” said Jaffe.
The Caterpillar Lab’s in-residence exhibit is a casual drop-in experience. There’s something for everyone, from the mildly curious to young children, from seasoned naturalists to professional biologists.
The exhibit is free with admission. The living exhibit will be open for guests to explore during the gardens’ open hours every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with live programming with The Caterpillar Lab staff from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, go to mainegardens.org.
