Bugs

Exhibitions

Scanning Electron Microscope Lab

See how big discoveries can come from the tiniest things in the Gem and Mineral Hall.

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Exhibition | NHM

Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.

Meet your tiny neighbors!

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Exhibition | NHM

Nature Lab

Live animals and hands-on interactives show you L.A.’s wild side.

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Children standing around the Paleo Play Zone, a counter with imitation sand and fossils, with mounted taxidermy up high on the wall in the background

Exhibition | NHM

Discovery Center

Dig for dinosaurs, wonder at live insects, and organize your own diorama.

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Butterflies photographed from above on a pink background

March 17 - August 25, 2024 | NHM

Butterfly Pavilion

Watch butterflies take flight around you in this seasonal exhibition.

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Events

See all events

Thu

02

May

Children and adult meeting a desert tortoise

NHM

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

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Fri

03

May

NHM

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

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Sat

04

May

Little boy in hat crouches on a low rock ledge and looks into the nature gardens pond

NHM

Nature Gardens Exploration

Tours & Shows All Ages

11 am

Drop by the Nature Gardens to explore the wildlife that calls LA home. Topics vary daily.

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Sat

04

May

NHM

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

Learn more

Sun

05

May

NHM

Nature Gardens Exploration

Tours & Shows All Ages

11 am

Drop by the Nature Gardens to explore the wildlife that calls LA home. Topics vary daily.

Learn more

Stories

From Butterflies With Love

A behind-the-scenes look reveals how the butterflies in our Pavilion help protect their native habitats

A snail stretches its body from a green leaf onto a bright pink flower.

Snail Love

Discover the secrets of snail love and show your love for the slimiest Angelenos—it's time for SnailBlitz 2024!

Year of the Dragon

Celebrate the 2024 Lunar New Year with highlights from the collection

Elephant Hill Community Nature Celebration and Habitat Survey

Join community members and scientists, Saturday, October 14, to celebrate and study nature on Elephant Hill, an open space in North East L.A. valuable to humans and wildlife.

Welcome to the 2023 LA BioBlitz Challenge

Help discover the incredible biodiversity all over Los Angeles!

Children looking at flowers with magnifiers

Nature Gardens Turn 10

A look back—and forward–at all the nature thriving in NHM’s Nature Gardens.

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Caterpillar Races

Make your very own caterpillar. Then, race yours against your family or friends!

Carreras de Orugas

Crea su propia oruga. ¡Después, compite contra su familia o amigos en una carrera de orugas!

Insect Symmetry

Use one of our templates to make your very own symmetrical insect.

Simetría de Insectos

Use una de nuestras plantillas para hacer su propio insecto simétrico.

Gulf Fritillary butterflies, one with wings open and another with wings closed.

Butterfly Flash and Dazzle

Use our butterfly template to create your very own “flash and dazzle” butterfly.

News & Press

Understanding Our Coast: A Guide to Southern California Marine Pillbugs

A review of nearly 200 marine pillbugs, or underwater roly-polies, will improve ocean monitoring off the coast of Southern California.

“Symbiosis between Cretaceous dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles” published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

The paper looks at amber fragments preserving the remains of feathers from the Early Cretaceous and larvae related to modern feather-feeding beetles in intimate contact

A Global Plan for Parasite Conservation

Parasites are unseen heroes that maintain ecosystem stability; they are scarcely studied and highly threatened by global change, and now there is a global plan to conserve them.