| |
Desert locust extends its wings
and springs forward to take flight.
Photo Kokoro Company |
 |
|
Where would we be without bugs? They work so darn hard and hardly
complain at all. The bees pollinate all those blossoms so we can eat
apples, cherries and plums. Why, the whole Okanagan fruit industry
would grind to a halt without these dedicated volunteers. Ants, there
is another organized group; talk about teamwork. Now spiders and dragonflies
have been around for millions of year eating up flies and mosquitoes
so we can better enjoy our camping trips. If it wasn't for ladybugs
we would be three stories deep tunneling through aphids on our way
to work while they suck the life out of every tender vegetable in
sight.
It is about time we took a keen look at our friends. Up to March 21
you can get an up close encounter with these unsung superheros. Thanks
to Japan's Kokoro Company, these gigantic state-of-the-art animatronic
robot bugs really rock, flap, lunge and bite. The model insects open
their jaws to let us tiny humans in on their sneaky ways.
There is Mantodea our famous praying mantis 60 times larger than life
stretching seven metres tall. Here is a lady who really knows how
to bite the head off her mate.
Wading in to battle are two seven metre horned Coleoptera or atlas
beetles, truck-sized and fighting it out for territory.
Other over-sized nimble model bugs are the swallowtail caterpillar
Lepidoptera, the camouflaged stick insect Phasmatodea, the leaping
locust Orthoptrea and a variety of munching mosquito, dragonfly and
honeybee heads demonstrating how they chew, suck and sting.
Here are a few tips for exploring the buggie side of Victoria. The
city's newest posh Hotel Grand Pacific is strategically placed next
to our provincial government buildings and within one block of the
monster bug installation of the Royal BC Museum. As well as the oversized
marvels, the museum also has an extensive pin-up display of actual
butterflies, beetles and insects of all desciptions. Next door the
IMAX movie Bugs! re-counts the passion play of Papilio a butterfly
and Hierodula a praying mantis following them from birth to rebirth.
A real life menagerie is to be found in the nearby Victoria Bug
Zoo at 631
Courtney Street where an entomologist will let you safely handle
totally bizarre millipedes and stick insects.
Afterwards the adults can retreat to the Suze Lounge at 515 Yates
for tapas and designer bugtail beverages. Once your mind and heart
has been opened to these tiny wonders you will never look at a bug
the same again.
Information at www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
or 1-888-447-7977 or 250-356-7226.
 Top
|
