Nature On Display

The exhibit that appealed to me the most was the butterfly habitat. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of being in the middle of the woods surrounded by plants, flowers, and butterflies. The design of this exhibit is that of a rain forest which includes numerous plants and flowers as well as bridges that allow one to cross the numerous streams. An aspect of the exhibit that caught my attention most was the variety of butterflies within. I saw everything from pitch black butterflies to solid yellow and blue ones. One thing I learned about the natural world by going to the museum that I would not have understood through another medium was being placed in nature instead of viewing it from a window or seeing it through book. The best moment of the tour was when a blue butterfly decided to land on me and relax for a little bit, it made me realize how precious nature is and how it is our jobs as humans to look after it.

Nature and Ethics

Leopold believes that conservation efforts are doomed to fail unless we learn to appreciate the land for more than just its economic value. After touring the museum, it made me realize that I agree with what Leopold has to say. After viewing the arrowhead exhibit, it made me realize that Native Americans appreciated nature just as Leopold did. They did not view land as a big dollar sign, instead they learned to live off of it and appreciate all of its beauty and resources in a reasonable manner. One thing I was thinking as I walked through the museum was how sophisticated nature is. Looking at the jaws of extinct sharks and all of the different types of butterflies made me realize that the Earth is an old planet and it is crazy how little we know of its long history. After observing the people at the museum, I realized that it consisted mainly of either elderly people or young children. The older people spent more time reading about the exhibits and getting to know the history behind it while the younger kids liked to run around and look at the exhibits instead of reading about them. The Natural History Museum allows visitors to connect with nature by creating a butterfly habitat that places the visitor in the middle of the jungle. My experience at the museum allowed me to realize that we as humans need to appreciate nature instead of finding ways to make money off of it; I now see what Leopold imagines.

Nature and the Human Spirit

Heschel believes that we need to take time out of our daily lives to connect to the eternal so we can recognize the mystery and majesty of the universe. As a college student at UF, I rarely have time to go on a hike in the woods so gong to the Natural History Museum gave me an opportunity to retouch with nature. The Butterfly exhibit is a great way to be tossed directly into nature but all of the other exhibits provide ways to connect as well. I personally love spending time in nature, back home I used to spend most of my time fishing and hunting. Being in nature allows one to really think about who they are as a person and how they can better themselves. It also makes one realize that nature is unpredictable and you never know what is going to happen in the middle of the woods or how we as humans or other animals will evolve in the future. I personally thought the exhibit about moths evolving so that they can jam bats echo waves was really interesting and just goes to show how every creature is fighting its own battle and has to find ways to survive.