Insects in the Museum
- Camryn Sudimick
- Feb 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 14
OPINION
Last month I visited New York City, and with a couple of hours of free time, we decided–what better way to spend it than at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)? I knew the museum was well-renowned, but I hadn’t fully realized what wonders were in store.
It was no surprise to me that the halls of dinosaur fossils and habitat dioramas were the busiest, packed so tightly they were almost hard to walk through at times. These are the exhibits that most visitors gravitate toward, but what many people don’t realize is how fundamental insects are to natural history. Insects form the foundation of many ecosystems and play a key role in the very stories that those other exhibits tell.
That is why I was shocked to learn that the Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium is the AMNH's first permanent gallery dedicated to insects in over 50 years, following the closure of the original Insect Hall in the early 1970s. The insectarium opened just 3 years ago, in May 2023.
I have a great appreciation for institutions like museums, as they have the power to not only educate visitors, but to spark curiosity and care for things they may never have noticed, or thought to care about, before. If museums can shift how people see insects in a gallery, that shift has the potential to carry over into our everyday lives.
Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium
The moment I entered the insectarium, I felt like a child all over again. I couldn’t even decide where to start! I appreciated how the gallery appeals to all generations. While it is geared toward children, with interactive, immersive, and sensory-driven exhibits, it still invites curiosity at any age. The gallery has a wide variety of exhibit styles, ranging from pinned specimens and infographics, an immersive, life-sized beehive exhibit complete with a “Be a Bee” roleplay game, as well as multiple live insects.
Moving through the gallery, I found myself leaning closer, and noticing details in ways that aren’t always possible outdoors. Most of the pinned specimens were equipped with magnifying glasses, allowing visitors to closely examine fine details such as wing venation, body segmentation, coloration, and texture, all features that are difficult to appreciate in living, moving insects. Pinned specimens play an essential role in helping visitors understand and appreciate insect diversity and anatomy.
However, when it comes to forming a deep connection with insects, one of the most valuable assets to the gallery was its live specimens. The insectarium is home to a diverse range of live species, spanning multiple insect orders, from ants and beetles to mantises, walking sticks, leaf insects, true bugs, grasshoppers, cockroaches, and moth larvae.
Incorporating live specimens is very important, as it makes the experience all the more engaging, especially for younger audiences. More importantly, they make insects feel less abstract and more personal for visitors of all ages. Seeing insects alive–moving, feeding, and interacting with their environment–adds a dimension that static displays cannot fully replicate. It reveals a level of complexity we rarely stop to notice when it comes to insects. People often see insects as merely "a part of the background" rather than individuals that are autonomous and alive.
The most popular exhibit in the gallery is the leafcutter ant colony. It was not only my favorite exhibit in the insectarium, but my favorite in the entire AMNH, and one of the most compelling museum exhibits I have ever experienced. Because it deserves more attention than I can give it here, I plan to write a separate piece focused entirely on this exhibit, which I will link once it is published.
With all of this in mind, it is no surprise that this gallery was one of the 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardees, an award presented by the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) to institutions that advance innovative, inclusive approaches to science education and visitor engagement.
"A recent evaluation done in collaboration with the AMNH Educational Research and Evaluation Department, the Exhibition Department and J. Sickler Consulting demonstrated [...] 81% of visitors felt that their attitudes toward insects changed as a result of their visit, becoming more positive, less fearful and more appreciative of insect beauty and usefulness."
via For the Love of Insects: Learnings from the Insectarium at the American Museum of Natural History written by Debra Everett-Lane.
This TikTok video by @littlekidbigcity shows some of the highlights of this gallery.
Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium
My biggest regret is not visiting the butterfly vivarium, which was unfortunately closed when I visited. I can speak from experience that my two childhood visits to a butterfly vivarium played a key role in shaping my fascination with butterflies, and insects in general. There is something so magical and memorable about seeing these species flying freely in a replica of their natural habitat, and having the opportunity to interact with them directly. Upon entering, you are transported into their humid, green, tropical habitat, and surrounded by 80 different species of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera).
Lepidoptera species undergo a remarkable metamorphosis, and this gallery features a Pupae Incubator exhibit, where you can observe hanging chrysalises, and at times, witness adults emerging.
I am so excited that the museum has replaced its previously seasonal vivarium with a permanent, year-round experience, allowing more visitors to engage with these insects and appreciate their life cycles up close.
This TikTok video by @littlekidbigcity captures the sense of wonder inside AMNH's butterfly vivarium.
Insects in Peril exhibition
The museum also has an insect exhibition currently on display called, “Extinct & Endangered: Insects in Peril” which features macrophotography by Levon Biss. It includes 40 stunning photos of insects from the AMNH's specimen collection, including the familiar imperiled monarch butterfly and European hornet, but also the lesser-known blue calamintha bee and Lorde Howe Island stick insect. The photos are displayed at sizes of up to 4.5 x 8 feet, which captures an extraordinary level of detail that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.
This exhibition asks visitors to "pay attention to insects." It showcases their beauty and complexity, while also highlighting their widespread decline due to human activity.
"If just 1% of visitors walk away with a new understanding and appreciation of insects, then that can only be a good thing."
- Levon Biss
Fortunately, even if you can't go to AMNH and see these photographs for yourself, you can explore the photos on Biss's personal website, by clicking here. His website features his exhibition's ultra-high-resolution images, and even allows you to zoom in to see the microscopic details of each insect. You can also read about the biology and conservation status of each species.
References
American Museum of Natural History, (n.d.). Extinct and Endangered Insects: Photograph Exhibition. https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/extinct-endangered-insects
Biss, L. [@levonbiss]. (2025, July 8). Incredible to think that my Extinct & Endangered exhibition has now been on display for over 3 years at... [Post caption]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DL4HSWitAEs/
Lane, E-L. (2025, November 3). For the Love of Insects: Learnings from the Insectarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Association of Science and Technology Centers. https://www.astc.org/dimensions/for-the-love-of-insects-learnings-from-the-insectarium-at-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/
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