Celebration: Earth

On display from April 18 – April 27.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science will be participating in the 2025 City Nature Challenge! The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an international event aimed to catalogue the native species of each city’s unique biome. Students, Parents, Teachers and biology-lovers alike are welcome to participate via the iNaturalist app! Explore the outdoors and record your evidence of a wild plant, animal, or fungi to share with your community and help Houston win the City Nature Challenge this year! Observations must be made in the greater Houston area and submitted between April 25th – April 28th, 2025. Stay tuned for more information! 

Need a place to get started? Visit the Community Science Garden at HMNS! 

Next to the Cockrell Butterfly Center is our pollinator-friendly Community Science Garden, an excellent place to begin your observations. Packed with native host plants, this garden draws all sorts of wildlife, such as butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and many small mammals. Located on the museum grounds alongside the Hermann Park Dr. entrance, the Community Science Garden provides the perfect opportunity to document essential flora and fauna.   

The City Nature Challenge is organized by Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences.

Join HMNS and UH Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) in celebrating Women’s History Month! From 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., UH SACNAS will host engaging science demonstrations, highlighting outstanding women scientists in our community. K-12 students and families will have the opportunity to explore hands-on activities, cultivate their love of science, and grow their appreciation for Women in STEM. 

Celebrate Earth Month with us at Glassell Hall and get an up-close look at reptiles and amphibians, brought to you by our Youth Education Department. Learn about these fascinating creatures, their habitats, and how you can book them for your next event! 

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with nature and discover the wonders of the animal kingdom. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Join us in celebrating Earth Day at HMNS! Enjoy eco-friendly, hands-on activities led by HMNS volunteers in Glassell Hall, and explore interactive touch carts throughout the museum that highlight the impact we have on our planet. Head outside to the Sundial for solar-powered fun with our Astronomy team, or step into the Discovery Dome for an immersive experience — also in Glassell Hall. And don’t miss the Insect Zoo, hosted by the Cockrell Butterfly Center, for a close-up look at some fascinating creatures!

Join us at the museum for a special Earth Month craft activity station hosted by HMNS volunteers! 

Get creative with a hands-on, earth-friendly craft while learning about sustainability and ways to care for our planet. This is a great opportunity to celebrate Earth Month, engage with our volunteers, and have fun making something meaningful. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Stop by their table to learn all about gardening in Houston’s unique climate — including which flowers and plants can withstand the heat and humidity. You can also chat with them about the birds you might spot at the Arboretum and discover what types of birds call our region home. 

Let’s Dig in and Grow Together! 

Explore the wealth of information, resources, and sound scientific advice we offer to help you grow your habitat. Whether it’s a yard, community space, or container garden, you can make a difference for wildlife! 

For more information, please visit National Wildlife Federation.

Three times a year, HMNS offers Sensory Friendly events where exhibits and venues are modified for those with sensory sensitivities. Exhibits and venues are modified to create a sensory neutral environment. The Burke Baker Planetarium and Wortham Giant Screen Theatre also offer modified 2D shows with house lights on and the volume reduced. Sensory Backpacks, which include ear defenders, sunglasses, and fidgets, are available to check out with an ID at the Museum Services Desk, and Touch Carts with tactile specimens to explore will be available throughout the museum’s permanent exhibit halls. To pre-register for free permanent exhibit hall entry, please click the link below.

Generously supported by the Joan and Stanford Alexander Family Fund.

A major new exhibition will examine the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and biggest books.  

Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a landmark work which achieved international renown due to the epic scale of the project and the book’s spectacular, life-sized ornithological illustrations.

Audubon’s Birds of America is a touring exhibition from National Museums Scotland and will showcase 46 prints from their collection. A rare unbound collection, this exhibition will be a unique opportunity to see so much of Audubon’s work in one place.

The elephants are made from lantana camara, one of the world’s top invasive weeds. This fast growing, noxious shrub has a stranglehold on 300,000 sq. kilometers of India’s Protected Areas. Lantana pushes animals out of their forest homes into urban areas leading to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. The use of lantana to create the elephants helps remove the weed from protected areas, leaving wildlife more space to roam. 

To learn more about The Great Elephant Migration, please click below.

Shape-shifting, mind control, invincibility and more! 

Explore the unique adaptations that make Earth’s creatures fearless and fascinating, beautiful and bold. 

Step into a graphic novel aiming to reveal the strange and wonderful specializations animals exhibit to give them a leg up on the competition or evade predators. Extreme Animals Alive! invites you to get up close with a variety of critters, both familiar and unknown. Consider the unique characteristics that give animals the advantage from super speed to super stealth. Discover animals with “superpowers” that allow them to shape-shift, glow, or control the minds of other animals. Investigate the physical, behavioral and structural adaptations that allow animals to survive in unique environments. Opportunities to interact with live animals will occur daily! 

Heinous killers or misjudged miscreants? You be the judge as the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s most lethal exhibit – Death By Natural Causes – is now open! 

Meet the malefactors who do the Grim Reaper’s deadly work while disguised in delightful colors, sweet scents, unassuming identities, and more. Death by Natural Causes will introduce you to the range of “animal, vegetable and mineral” dangers that lurk in their everyday lives. Through a collection of specimens, text and interactives, visitors can see what can cause a death, either directly or indirectly, from the natural world. Poisonous, venomous and toxic are just a few of the terms that will be clarified, and things you interact with almost daily will be used as examples — mushrooms, snakes, spiders, and even common foods! Old wives’ tales and urban myths will be debunked, as visitors travel through five general areas of rich graphics, compelling visuals and surprising specimens.

Step inside and explore your fears, be they animal, vegetable or mineral, but tread lightly… You never know what treacherous creatures crawl just below your feet. 

Lectures:

Join Greenhouse Biologist Jeff Cummins as he shares insights on rearing butterflies in the Museum’s greenhouses, from caterpillar to chrysalis. 

Stop by for this 20-minute tidbit of science!

Distinguished Lectures are supported by Apache Corporation. 

The Great Elephant Migration is the fundraising journey of 100 Indian elephants who are sharing their story across the US, to amplify Indigenous knowledge and worldviews, and inspire the human race to share space.

In the last 30 years, the population of India has doubled to 1.4 billion. Remarkably, the population of elephants, rhinos, lions, and tigers has also doubled over this period. They coexist in extraordinary ways, tolerating each other and constantly negotiating space. In the Nilgiri Hills of South India, 150 elephants share space relatively peacefully with a quarter of a million people. This ability to coexist is linked to a deep cultural relationship, where humans are not thought of as separate from nature. There exists a range of beliefs and practices based on mutual respect and co-adaptation.

Using a range of case studies on human-wildlife interactions that inspire this migration, Dr. Tarsh Thekaekara will make a case for re-envisioning the way we think about conservation—shifting from protecting small pockets of nature while destroying the rest of the Earth, to rekindling the human-nature relationship, rewilding ourselves, and living more harmoniously with all forms of nature on a more sustainable, shared planet. 
 
Eligible for CPE credit. 

Distinguished Lectures are supported by Apache Corporation. 

Discover the fascinating world of insects and their essential role as nature’s recyclers! Delve into how bugs break down waste, keep ecosystems in balance, and help sustain life on Earth, making them true heroes of the natural world. Then, meet a variety of live and preserved insect specimens from the Cockrell Butterfly Center up close, and gain a new appreciation for these tiny but mighty creatures that help keep our planet healthy. 

Eligible for CPE credit. 

Distinguished Lectures are supported by Apache Corporation. 

Behind the Scenes Tours:

On this exclusive tour led by Butterfly Center staff, you will visit the containment room and rooftop greenhouses–areas not open to the public–where staff cares for the Museum’s caterpillars, butterflies, other insects, and food plants for the butterflies.

Includes a tour of the Cockrell Butterfly Center rainforest and Brown Hall of Entomology.

Eligible for CPE credit. 

Ages 15+. All minors must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. No refunds. 

Classes:

Unleash your inner florist in this hands-on flower arranging class. Learn the essentials of floral design, from color selection and composition to care tips. Whether you’re a beginner or a budding enthusiast, you’ll gain the skills to create stunning arrangements for any occasion.

All supplies provided. Eligible for CPE credit.

Ages 15+. All minors must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. No refunds.

Discover the vibrant world of natural dyes, and learn how to create beautiful colors from plants, flowers, and other organic materials, transforming simple textiles into works of art. Our instructor will guide you through dye extraction, fabric preparation, and dyeing techniques, while also sharing tips on sustainably sourcing materials.

You’ll leave with a unique, naturally dyed piece and detailed instructions to complete the project at home, allowing for continued experimentation with colors from the natural world!

All supplies provided. Eligible for CPE credit.

Ages 15+. All minors must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. No refunds.

This special event will take you on a journey far and wide to explore The Great Elephant Migration. As part of this experience, HMNS will host its very own elephant installation, designed to amplify Indigenous knowledge and inspire the human race to share space with nature.

Guests will be able to touch, learn, and interact with the elephant stationed at HMNS. Our friends from Hermann Park will also be joining us to share their expertise and insights about these incredible creatures and their conservation.

In addition to learning about elephants, guests can participate in hands-on crafts inspired by these gentle giants. We hope you will join us during this unique opportunity to connect with nature, celebrate cultural wisdom, and deepen our understanding of the natural world.

Event will be outside if weather permits, please wear proper clothing.

Visit thegreatelephantmigration.org for more information about this incredible organization.

With tusks that gleam and ears so wide, I roam the Savanna with grace and pride—what am I? That’s right, an elephant! This Second Saturday, members are invited to craft their own elephant using a paper plate, then journey to our African Wildlife Hall to discover amazing facts about one of the smartest creatures on the planet!

Event is subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances.

During Celebration Earth Month, save $3 on any Saturday Stargazing event by using discount code GeorgeMembers at check out (tickets must be reserved prior to the day of the event).

*Visit Brazos Bend State Park’s website to purchase separate park entrance reservation.

9 Natives Showcase Garden 

This garden can be found on the museum grounds behind the Cockrell Butterfly Center along San Jacinto St. Sponsored by the Coastal Prairie Conservancy, the 9 Natives program helps to promote the value of native plants to pollinators, and how these native plants are part of the important prairie landscape. There are so many great reasons to incorporate native plants into your yard or garden. They are hardy and can survive local extremes of heat or cold, drought, and wind. Once established, native plants usually require little or no irrigation or fertilization. They are resistant to many pests and diseases so you will not need pesticides or herbicides. Native plants when mixed together can provide year-round color and beauty, and provide food and homes for the birds, bees, and butterflies.

Join us as HMNS hosts the Coastal Prairie Conservancy Volunteer Days in the 9-Natives Garden on April 14th and May 12th. 

Flight School

Soar into first class with the Cockrell Butterfly Center’s Flight School! Led by a team of expert butterfly flight attendants, you’ll learn what it takes to become an ace butterfly pilot, and release a butterfly of your very own into the Center’s rainforest. Releases are first come, first served and may be purchased inside the rainforest exhibit.

All Flight School funds support our farmers’ butterfly and rainforest conservation efforts.

Junior Paleontologist (Ages 6-7)

• Investigate how our resident dinosaurs lived, died, and were discovered by paleontologists. Get up close and personal with our specimens, go on a mock dig, and touch a real dinosaur bone! 

Amazing Animals (8-9)

• From meat-eating predators to the tiniest amoebas, your world is full of interesting creatures! Explore our live animal collection, exhibits and venues as we “hunt” for amazing animals.

Backstage Pass (Ages 10-12)

• Visit areas the public never sees, including projection booths, live animal rooms, and more. Take photographs with a digital camera and create a publication to share your discoveries. Basic technology experience with laptops and digital cameras may be helpful for this camp! 

Want to take a look at our catalog? Click here. 

This immersive, interactive and entertaining experience allows visitors to explore severe weather’s power and unpredictability. Increase your understanding of the science behind severe weather, its connection to a changing climate, and the emerging technologies and forecasting techniques.

Explore hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning and extreme heat, as we work to improve our ability to predict and mitigate the impacts of severe weather, and prepare for future conditions as our climate changes.

Wild Weather is generously supported by the City of Sugar Land Public Works Department.