Spawning from a small fundraising campaign surrounding the wildly popular insect exhibits at Montreal’s Botanic Garden, the Montreal Insectarium has since grown to hold some 250,000 specimens. Today it is the largest museum of its kind on the continent.
Walk through displays of live insects in the museum’s permanent collection to come face to face with obscure creatures from all corners of the globe. See numerous different stick bugs, a variety of mantises and huge tarantulas creeping through their terrariums.
Examine the collection of large beetles, some up to 6.4 centimetres (2.5 inches) long. See if you can find the impressive peacock mantis, which stands on two legs and displays its colourful wings like a peacock’s tail.
Visit the museum in September to see the it filled with life. Be there as scientists release swarms of monarch butterflies from the insectarium after tagging them. Watch as they begin their migration of more than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) to the mountains of Mexico.
Check the insectarium’s calendar to see what other events are on during your stay in the city. Throughout the year you can indulge in an insect tasting or pick up an insect cookbook to try your hand at cooking something yourself.
Along with the live collection there are many preserved species in the Montreal Insectarium, including moths, butterflies and beetles. The impressive Firmin Laliberté collection features 100,000 pieces from more than 80 countries, donated to the museum upon his death.
Afterwards, spend some time relaxing in the museum’s outdoor areas. Let your children run wild on the insect-themed playground as you enjoy a picnic at the benches surrounding the lawn.
Located immediately next to the Botanic Garden in the Espace pour la Vie complex, the Montreal Insectarium is easily reached by car, bus or metro. All-day parking is available for a fee and two metro stations are located on Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin. An admission fee applies for the museum.
