Nature on Display
The Florida Museum of Natural History was a wonderful museum and I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to attend. The FLMNH offered interesting exhibits that truly did pique my interest and leave a lasting impression of admiration and amazement of nature around me. One exhibit that was exceptionally amazing was the Butterfly Rainforest. The moment I entered I was amazed by the beautiful foliage and the fluttering butterflies overhead and in the trees and bushes. The bright colored flowers and the delicate butterflies caught my attention and I was attentive to look carefully for the butterflies. Through this exhibit, I would never have been able to see butterflies drink off of the flowers as they did. They each would gather around a bush of flowers and flutter around and drink the nectar. It was a unique and interesting experience that I could not have been able to have from just reading about it in a book or watching a video. The independence of the exhibit also made it enjoyable as I was able to freely walk around and spend as much time as I wanted admiring the butterflies and flowers. The same was true for the rest of the museum; I enjoyed the flexibility and ease of being able to walk and read at my own leisure, enjoying everything around me.
Nature and Ethics
Natural history museums also offer the opportunity for people to develop the appreciation of nature so as to care for it in the future. The FLMNH provided me that opportunity in a great degree as I came to truly feel such love and admiration for my surroundings. Specifically in the Florida wildlife and environment exhibits, I was able to view the natural beauty of Florida as an ecosystem and home rather than a tourist destination or merely an economic site. In this particular exhibit, I was reminded that these ecosystems and environments are precious and must be respected and appreciated by the general population. Throughout the course of exploring the museum, that same sentiment remained of admiration and appreciation for nature and the living world around me. I was amazed at how unique, delicate, yet also hearty our world around us is. The people around me were also amazed by each exhibit and would let out audible "wow!" and amazement as I was feeling as well. The FLMNH allows visitors to be in contact physically with nature in their Butterfly Rainforest, as well as the exhibits that create a realistic surrounding of nature that feels immersive and wonderful. Especially in the Florida wildlife exhibit I was filled with a sense of ethical responsibility to preserve my surroundings so as to respect nature and so others can also appreciate its beauty.
Nature and the Human Spirit
The museum allowed me the opportunity to connect to the majesty of the Universe in such a way that if I had not gone to the museum, I would have never had otherwise. In the FLNHM there is an exhibit about frogs of all shapes, colors, and textures. There were frogs that I had not even known existed before that exhibit. I was able to view frogs that I have only read about in books or seen through pictures online. In this way, the FLMNH gave me the opportunity to step out of what was ordinary and common and allowed me a chance so see a poison dart frog, usually only found in Central or South America, but through the Museum, I was able to view their bright colors and small shapes. The Museum also helped me to better understand who I am as a person, as one who lives in a certain environment of Florida with certain knowledge of what's around me and also helped me appreciate the environments and things of others in many other different parts of the natural world. I was amazed at every step I took in that museum and was filled with wonder and appreciation for the natural world.