By Brandt Mannchen

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, the Houston Sierra Club enjoyed an outing to Hermann Park and the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center.

Hats off to all the participants for a great outing.  Thank you, Denise, Barb, Cystal, Linda, Taylor, Dawn, Michael, Beth, and Alex for great companionship, interesting conversations, and good company. 

We met in front of the Cherie Flores Pavillion in Hermann Park at 9 am.  After we signed in on the Sierra Club sign-up sheet, we took a short walk to the reflection pond and circled back to the Museum of Natural Science at 9:30 am.

Those who hadn’t bought tickets ahead of time did so and we luxuriated in air-conditioned comfort until the Cockrell Butterfly Center opened at 10 am.  We then filed through the doors and visited the “Arthropod Room” where we saw large-scale exhibits of insects and other arthropods, learned about invertebrates, and discovered why they are important to our lives as members of the web of life, pollinators of our food supplies, and recyclers of our waste.

There were also live exhibits with giant beetles, tarantulas, scorpions, mantis’, walking sticks, and other cool critters that live on Earth in the “Arthropod Room”.  Butterflies can be observed exiting their chrysalis’s in a nursery you can watch. 

Then came the main event.  We were ushered into the Cockrell Butterfly dome, being told not to touch butterflies, plants, and animals, as we spiraled down to a rainforest floor.  Birds, like parrots, called overhead and many rainforest plants, including blooming bromeliads, provided places for the 1,500 butterflies to land along with feeding stations.  Swallowtails, Longwings, Owls, and many other types of butterflies were flying in the air or landing on rainforest vegetation.

It was a tropical paradise with bright colors, fluttering wings, and raucous bird sounds high overhead.  Many photos were taken and it was great to sit on a bench and watch our futtering friends as they went about their day.

After our visit to the butterfly center, we visited Barnaby’s restaurant for lunch.  The food was plentiful (everyone got a take-out container), delicious, and satisfying. We finally left and were glad for our break in a hot summer day so that we were cool, learned about life on our Planet, and enjoyed great times with new friends.  Cockrell Butterfly Center is worth the time to see the diversity and beauty of Nature. 

Photos courtesy of Brandt Mannchen.