Did you know that although many insects are barely larger than a thumbnail, their combined weight exceeds the combined mass of humans by a whopping 50 to 1?The recently opened, Audubon Insectarium offers an awe-inspiring glance into the fascinating life of the insect and will have you well-versed in all things bug, by day’s end!
 
Lining the first hallway, the informative, brightly painted murals tell a colorful history and transport visitors back to prehistoric times when many giant insects roamed the earth. One such example is that of the ancestral dragonfly that possessed an intimidating 30-inch wingspan, longer than certain hawks today (the Kestrel’s 20- inch wingspan pales in comparison). 
 
Entering the Underground exhibit, you wind through cavernous tunnels where massive replications of insects dwell in the darkness. Under a canopy of fake leaves, only the slightest hint of light filters in, and the room feels, quite literally, like the underground lair of a terrifying assortment of legs and pinchers. Video installations show these underground dwellers busy at work in the ground beneath our feet. 
 
At the Louisiana Swamp exhibit, you enter a dimly lit, murky room awash in the sounds of chirping cicadas. A cylindrical pool mimics the dusky atmosphere of the wetlands, and it plays host to alligators, crawfish and insects such as predacious diving beetles, water scorpions and the Carolina praying mantis. Here, visitors can marvel at the  infamous Black Widow spider. Kept safely encased behind glass, this intricately-formed arachnid has a bite that packs a powerful, venomous punch.
 
In the Metamorphosis Lab, glass containers house butterflies at all stages of development. During the course of a day, multiple butterflies emerge from chrysalises while lucky visitors watch in rapturous silence. At Bug Apetit, the brave can sample insect-inspired culinary creations such as ‘cajun crispy crickets’, ‘cinnamon and sugar waxworms’, and ‘mealworm salsa’.
 
While much of the information at the Insectarium is written or shown through photographs, the actual live bugs are what truly educate (sometimes with skin-crawling awe). Witness a massive colony where tiny worker ants haul bits of leaves and flowers much larger than their bodies up a tall branch. Squirming maggots might not be much to look at, but they assist forensic scientists in their work, piecing together the time and cause of death at a crime scene. Love bugs, often mistakenly thought to be two-headed, spend the entirety of their brief lifespan in the throes of mating. 
 
For adults and children alike, the Insectarium offers a spectacular glimpse into the world of insects and demonstrates how these tiny creatures play a crucial, and often overlooked role, in every ecosystem.