A new exhibit, “Beyond the Hive: Discovering Colorado’s Bees,” opened Sept. 12 at the Butterfly Pavilion. The exhibit is a collaboration between Butterfly Pavilion and Colorado State University, involving CSU’s Animal-Human Policy Center, the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Bee Ecology and Education Lab and the CSU history department. Through videos, photography, quizzes and live bees, the exhibit showcases and celebrates more than 1,000 of Colorado’s native bee species.
“Through this collaboration, Butterfly Pavilion and CSU seek to engage people of all backgrounds, fostering community stewardship, supporting vital conservation efforts, and encouraging interest in pollinator science and related careers to ensure a sustainable future for these essential pollinators,” the Butterfly Pavilion wrote in the event’s press release.
The exhibit focuses on Colorado’s more than 1,000 native bee species, many of which most visitors may not realize exist. Richard Reading, vice president of science and conservation at Butterfly Pavilion and adjunct professor of biology at the University of Denver, explained that honeybees tend to get the spotlight in conversations about bees and conservation, but as the research behind this exhibit points out, public perception is often inaccurate or incomplete…