Houston, TX–24 June 2017

Time for a visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, near a park with a monument to Sam Houston:

Monument to Sam Houston; large arch topped with Houston on horseback.

Outside the museum is an artwork titled Kugel Ball; the ball floats freely on a film of water.

Large black sphere with map of earth

On the first floor, fish hanging from the ceiling and the obligatory Foucault pendulum:

Models of fish hanging from ceiling of museum. View from third floor to Foucault pendulum lobby

They had an exhibit of gem carvings by Gerd Dreher.

Piglet carved from rose quartz Kingfisher carved from lapis lazuli, eosite, obsidian, jasper, quartz, and 18K gold Piglet carved from fire opal

I found the third floor to be a total snoozer. It has the Hall of the Americas and an Egyptian display, neither of which did a thing for me.

Totem pole with eagle on top and bear-like creature at bottom Egyptian stele with man and woman, heiroglyphs above

If you are into sea shells, they have a really comprehensive display (here’s just one part of it):

Glass case displaying seashells of varying colors, sizes, and shapes.

Paleontology

What would a natural history museum be without the dinosaurs? These are just a very few pictures; the exhibit is very complete.

Skeleton of tyrannosaurus rex Skeleton of dinosaur with large horn on forehead Skeleton of sabertooth tiger standing on its hind legs

Minerals and Gemstones

I really liked this section of the museum. Strangely, I prefer the minerals to the gems. Go figure.

Spiky orange mineral Green crystals in geode Purple crsytals Small blue crystals on white crystalline rock Fuchsia cylindrical crystal Angular medium blue crystals Cuboid pink crystal Large (1 meter tall) purple crystal geode large pink crystal Circular blue crystal on white rock Feathery green crystals Variety of colored crystals (green, yellow, blue, red) Cubical purple crystal Elliptical yellow crystal Teardrop-shaped blue crystal Oval green crystal Purple, blue, and yellow crsytals

Fabergé Exhibit

There was a display of artifacts by Fabergé. Beautiful, but didn’t compete with the minerals and gems, in my opinion.

Fabergé sign: Fabergé St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, Kiev, London. Green and gold square containers Three ornate Fabergé eggs Playing card box with leaf-and-vine decoration, queen of hearts on front Gold bracelet with blue flowers in front left, purple crystal bracelet in back left, watch pendant on right

Cockrell Butterfly Center

OK, the butterfly center was the absolute highlight of the museum for me. This is a two-story-tall living butterfly habitat in a rainforest-like setting. Simply spectacular; there are butterflies everywhere.

Orange, yellow, black butterfly Orange, yellow, black butterfly; two white and black butterflies on staff member’s hand Black and white butterfly near red flowers Butterfly hanging on red flower Black-winged butterfly with orange and yellow patches Black winged butterfly with blue patches Iridescent blue-winged butterfly Black and white spotted butterfly Orange-winged butterfly and pink flowers Yellow and black-winged butterfly Black and white winged butterfly. Orange/black butterflies Yellow/orange/black butterfly on pink flower Black-winged butterfly with one yellow stripe on each wing Brown/yellow/orange butterfly with white spots on wings Black winged butterfly with yellow spots Red-footed tortoise with black shell with yellow spots Black-winged butterfly with pink and white spots on wings Black butterfly with horizontal white stripes Black butterfly View of trees and ferns in butterfly center Purple tubular flower Black butterfly with yellow spots and red stripes Butterfly with orange spots and white stripes Butterfly with orange body and white spots Butterfly with iridescent blue wings Butterfly with iridscent blue wings

Miscellanea

Some pictures from outside a garden supply center, and some nice wall art. I especially enjoyed the last one.

Ceramic pink flamingos and roosters outside a garden supply store Pink flamingos, parrot, and sunflowers outside garden supply store Metal sculpture of man with guitar and cowboy hat Wall painting of birds in blue sky and sunset colors at bottom Wall painting patterned after Michelangelo’s creation of Adam showing the Lord with a spray paint can