BE ADVISED: On Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, nearby events at Exposition Park and the University of Southern California will impact traffic, parking, and wayfinding in the area. Please consider riding the Metro E (Expo) Line and exiting at USC/Expo station.

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Bugs

Exhibitions

Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.

Meet your tiny neighbors!

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Nature Lab

Live animals and hands-on interactives show you L.A.’s wild side.

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Children standing around the Paleo Play Zone, a counter with imitation sand and fossils, with mounted taxidermy up high on the wall in the background

Discovery Center

Dig for dinosaurs, wonder at live insects, and organize your own diorama.

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Butterflies photographed from above on a pink background

Butterfly Pavilion

Watch butterflies take flight around you in this seasonal exhibition.

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Spider Pavilion

Walk among spiders and their magnificent webs in this unique, open-air experience.

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Events

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Sat

Apr

Little boy in hat crouches on a low rock ledge and looks into the nature gardens pond

Nature Gardens Exploration

Tours & Shows All Ages

11 am

Drop by the Nature Gardens to explore the wildlife that calls LA home. Topics vary daily.

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Sat

Apr

Children and adult meeting a desert tortoise

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

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Sun

Apr

Nature Gardens Exploration

Tours & Shows All Ages

11 am

Drop by the Nature Gardens to explore the wildlife that calls LA home. Topics vary daily.

Learn more

Sun

Apr

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

Learn more

Mon

Apr

Meet a Live Animal

Tours & Shows All Ages

3 pm

Learn more

Stories

From Butterflies With Love

A behind-the-scenes look reveals how the butterflies in our Pavilion help protect their native habitats

A snail stretches its body from a green leaf onto a bright pink flower.

Snail Love

Discover the secrets of snail love and show your love for the slimiest Angelenos—it's time for SnailBlitz 2024!

Year of the Dragon

Celebrate the 2024 Lunar New Year with highlights from the collection

Elephant Hill Community Nature Celebration and Habitat Survey

Join community members and scientists, Saturday, October 14, to celebrate and study nature on Elephant Hill, an open space in North East L.A. valuable to humans and wildlife.

Welcome to the 2023 LA BioBlitz Challenge

Help discover the incredible biodiversity all over Los Angeles!

Children looking at flowers with magnifiers

Nature Gardens Turn 10

A look back—and forward–at all the nature thriving in NHM’s Nature Gardens.

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Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.

Woman holding beat sheet under a leafy bush

Collect And Observe Bugs At Home

Learn about simple ways to collect and observe bugs with materials you have at home.

Entomology

With over 800,000 described species—more than half of all known living organisms—insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth.

Community Science

Community science (sometimes called citizen science) mobilizes volunteers to work alongside scientists to help answer questions about the world.

BioSCAN

This first-of-its-kind scientific investigation is discovering and exploring biodiversity in and around one of the world’s largest cities: Los Angeles.