Come see giant butterflies and other spectacular specimens of the 6 million-plus creepy crawlies housed at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology. We’ll learn how this massive aggregation of insects is used for research into biodiversity, public health, evolution and more. The museum’s collections include a storehouse of the insect biodiversity of California. Our 11 a.m. guided tour of museum highlights should take about an hour.
Once we’ve had our fill of matters entomological, we’ll take a 10-minute stroll to Lake Spafford, a wide spot along Putah Creek where we can eat lunch. Bring a lunch, food to share if you wish, and maybe a picnic blanket to sit on.
After lunch, we’ll head for the campus’s Botanical Conservatory for a guided tour that starts at 1:30 p.m. The conservatory is located a convenient 10 minutes from the lake; trip takes the same time whether you walk or drive. The conservatory grows more than 3,000 species from around the world in its greenhouses. Among the prize plants: a titan arum, which generates a child-sized bloom that smells like rotting meat.
The museum, the lake, and the conservatory are all located on the main UC Davis campus. The Bohart Museum of Entomology is located in the Academic Surge building, while the Botanical Conservatory is in its own building.
UC Davis campus map
Bohart Museum of Entomology Lot 46 is adjacent to the Academic Surge building which houses the museum. The next closest lot is 47.
Botanical ConservatoryLots 26 and 27 are closest to the Botanical Conservatory. The next closest lot is 25.
Parking permits are not required on campus on weekends.
See the UC Davis Parking Map for lot locations.
