FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Newport News, VA (June 15, 2022) – The Virginia Living Museum is pleased to announce the June 18th arrival of its newest exhibit Amazing Pollinators.
Become one of three pollinators-bees, bats, or butterflies-and try your hand at pollinating in this vibrant world of Amazing Pollinators. The centerpiece of this unique, bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibit is a visually stunning, playable maze. Hundreds of beautiful interactive flowers are spread across nine environments. Visit lotus flower blossoms in the rainforest, find saguaro cactus in the desert, and watch moon flowers glow in the black lit night room, just for nocturnal pollinators.
In the maze, visitors take on 48 survival missions from eight different pollinator groups, including bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and wasps. There are six missions for each group that increase in complexity and difficulty, putting players in the shoes of different species like the hibiscus bee, soldier beetle, or ruby-throated hummingbird.
To succeed, players have to think like a pollinator and navigate the many challenges faced by each pollinator on a daily basis. If players manage to survive the missions, they’ll earn exclusive titles and be rewarded with finding out about some rather bizarre relationships between plants and pollinators, how pollinators support our ecosystems, and the vital role they play in our food supply.
The exhibit also features graphics and interactives with information on how to help pollinators at home and in the community, as well as an opportunity for guests to build their own powerful pollinator. The game parlor includes classic games with a twist, like mason bee mancala, invasive species shuffleboard, mutualism dominoes, and more. In the “Maze Flower Quest” area, younger children may participate in mini-missions by choosing a pollinator and flying it to its target flower in the maze.
Recipient of the 27th annual Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), this cleverly conceived exhibit sparks interest in the natural world, spurs at-home observation of plants and pollinators, and provides an astounding magnitude of science and nature education in a cohesive, fun exhibit that engages all.
Pollinators truly are vital to our everyday lives. Not only do they support our own food supply, but they are critical to natural ecosystems and wildlife. Some plants and pollinators have such specialized relationships that if one were to disappear, the other would surely follow. What better way to find out just how important pollinators are than to join the buzz and get in on the action at Amazing Pollinators.
The exhibit will be hosted at the Virginia Living Museum from June 18, 2022-September 18, 2022. Additionally, two shows will be hosted daily to go hand in hand with the Amazing Pollinators exhibit: Pollinators & Pals Animal Show, a daily animal ambassador show to introduce museum guests to Virginia native species and how they interact with pollinators, and Science Show Live, a daily science demonstration to help museum guests learn about pollinators and the role they play in the ecosystem. Pollinators & Pals Animal Shows are scheduled for 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm and Science Shows Live are scheduled for 11:30am & 2:30pm.
Sponsors for the Amazing Pollinators exhibit include S23 Holdings, Waterway Surveys and Engineering Ltd, PRA Group, Canon, Abbit Realty, York County Arts Commission, and Coltrane and Messersmith.
The Virginia Living Museum is a leader in natural living exhibits! Native Virginia mammals, marine life, reptiles, amphibians, birds, plants and planets are presented in natural ecosystems and honored for their ability to connect people to nature through educational experiences that promote conservation.
Accredited by both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (living exhibits) and the American Alliance of Museums (non-live collections), the Virginia Living Museum’s high standards are its hallmark, as only fourteen institutions share this designation in the country. Community volunteers outnumber staff by approximately 5:1 for incredible mission delivery. The Museum is a certified Virginia Green attraction dedicated to environmentally friendly practices and education.
Created by the Warwick Rotary Club and Junior League of Hampton Roads in 1966, the Museum is an independent 501c3 organization, a successful public/private partnership with the City of Newport News and all guests. The Virginia Living Museum is built by the community, beloved by the community, sustained by the community.
Located at 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News (I-64, exit 258-A), hours are 9 to 5 daily. Learn more at thevlm.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or call 757-595-1900.
