Bayer Insectarium

Zoo in Missouri, United States

38°38′06″N 90°17′31″W / 38.6349°N 90.2919°W / 38.6349; -90.2919Date opened2000LocationSt. Louis, Missouri, United StatesMembershipsAZA^[1]Public transit access

MetroBusWebsitewww.stlzoo.org/visit/thingstoseeanddo/discoverycorner/insectarium

The Bayer Insectarium is an insectarium located within the Saint Louis Zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Having opened in 2000 and designed by David Mason & Associates with a cost of $4 million, this 9,000 square feet (840 m²) facility houses educational exhibits and an active breeding and research facility. It also includes a window to the exhibits area and two-way communications so visitors may watch entomologists work and ask them questions. The facility even includes a geodesic flight dome cage, which is home to numerous rainforest flowers and butterfly species.^[2]

The Bayer Insectarium is open every day except Christmas and New Years days. Admission to the zoo and the insectarium is free.

Butterfly collection

The insectarium includes a tropical garden and pollinarium. The gallery (below) illustrates a few specimens from the pollinarium's collection.

Adelpha fessonia
Mexican sister, underside
Agraulis vanillae
Gulf fritillary
Heliconius cydno
cydno longwing, underside
Heliconius erato
red postman
Heliconius hecale
tiger longwing
Hypolimnas bolina
great egg fly, male
Idea leuconoe
paper kite
Junonia atlites
gray pansy
Phoebis sennae
cloudless sulphur
Precis iphita
chocolate pansy
Princeps memnon
great Mormon, female
Princeps memnon
great Mormon, male
Siproeta stelenes
malachite, underside

Notes

^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
^ "Zoo's Monsanto Insectarium on schedule, set to open next spring". St. Louis Commerce Magazine. September 1999. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2007-03-10.