Pssst! There’s a Dinosaur in my Butterfly Exhibit….

September 2, 2012 by Charron's Chatter 4 Comments

Butterflies–and more–at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

A right whale of a skeleton!

You’ve all had a chance to see how beautiful Santa Barbara is on the outside, so today we’re going inside SB—and deep into western America’s past, too—on a visit to our museum of Natural History. It turns out there’s still time to catch the tail end of not one but two dynamic shows the museum is presenting until next Sunday : “Butterflies Alive” & “Dinomania”, and the latter is a complete, fossil-licious surprise to this seeker of aging caterpillars.

What a big caterpillar!

I’m pretty sure if we play by the rules, though, and keep an eye out for errant butterflies and dinosaurs underfoot; sticking to the “Path” as outlined by the late, great Ray Bradbury in his short story: “The Sound of Thunder”, both butterfly and animatronic T-Rex should be none the worse for our visit.

You can find “The Sound of Thunder” inside this anthology. The science fiction features T-Rex and Butterflies! Go figure…

Visiting the 800–1000 butterflies and moths flitting about the outdoor meshed enclosure is a no brainer temptation, all right, but the discovery of these extinctly & distinctly separate small-brainers lurking around the Fleischmann Auditorium merits a minute or two delay. After all, the chance to detour into earth’s late Cretaceous Period is a fleeting opportunity, too.

Animatronic T-Rex & Triceratops

Especially a Cretaceous Period renovated with all the bells, whistles and joy-sticks of the Tech Age. Educational video games flank the entrances of the exhibition hall, their state-of-the-art, interactive systems allowing the player to see, be, and smell the dinosaur (of choice, yet!) while a drawing station, near-scale toy jeep, and archeological digs grace the room’s edges.

You know you want to!

The kid in me is hard put not to dive right into the pits and play pretend fossil finder, while my inner, material girl appreciates the abundance of dinosaur-themed goodies in the gift store at the back. Everything from hand puppets & kites, to souvenir Tee-shirts & edible dinosaur eggs!

This T-Rex skeleton is known as: Samson

The minute back to yester-era extends, becoming a mini time period in itself—a stretch loaded with sensory delight that includes, I confess, a couple of levels of video gameplay for me—and the bang for our buck has already popped loud enough to hear above the sound of roaring dinosaur fading into the background, as Jim and I depart the auditorium for the next natural treat.

The kestrel is one of the smallest of the raptors. The carnivorous raptor is distinguished by its curved beak & talons.

http://santabarbaraaudobon.org

That proves to be a larger type of winged beauty than my butterfly objective. Every bit as tremendous to view, the peregrine falcon you see below named: Kisi is one of several, rehabilitated raptors to which the museum plays home. In cooperation with the “Eyes in the Sky” program hosted by the Santa Barbara’s Audobon Society, the rescue birds on site range from horned owls and screech, to hawks and kestrels, now roosting safely in the environs of the Audobon’s new aviary in the wooded area behind the museum dubbed its backyard. This educational, non-profit is well worth supporting, chickens, to ensure the volunteer staff will be able to continue to help our feathered friends.

Guides take Kisi and others on a “walkabout” every afternoon on the museum’s grounds from 2-4 pm. Kisi is perhaps the most rehabilitated of the recovered birds, having regained some 80% of her natural flight ability.

To volunteer at the facility itself, email: eyes-in-the-sky@cox.net or call: Gabriele (805) 898-0347

The 4:40 cut-off time for viewing the butterflies shoos us along at last, and as the nearby carillon at the Mission chime the 4 o’clock hour, we cap our visit to the museum by transcending it. It sure seems that way, so transportive is the ambience inside the spacious, outdoor enclosure. It’s 600 odd feet a sudden, fluttering Xanadu, but why am I keypunching the indescribable when you can “visit” paradise yourself?

In case that isn’t enough buttery-fly goodness for you, here’s a few flutter-byes on which I’ll wave Buh-bye—thanking you kindly for morphing along. If you want to explore the museum’s other exhibit halls showcasing Chumash artifacts & other indigenous wonders, or drop by its planetarium for a first-rate show featuring all the top stars, please go ahead!