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A Tour Through the World of Butterflies

Date: (16/6/2009)

Dirección de Imagen Institucional

The University’s Administrative Tower’s art space will present the Doctor Patricia Tamez´ exhibition “A tour through the world of butterflies.”

Photos by Efrain Aldama Villa

By Esperanza Armendariz

“In regards to animals, I think the butterfly represents the ultimate beauty; it is a God’s gift. Besides being in charge of the pollination and of telling us whether or not the environment is clean —as environmental indicators — they posses colors and beauty,” mentioned Doctor Patricia Tamez, author of the A tour through the world of butterflies´ exhibition.

This collection is comprised of four modules of diurnal and nocturnal butterflies — classified by their size, family, phenotype, genre and species, and country of origin — Two modules show butterflies of the world — two of them —, of Nuevo Leon and Mexico.

Besides, a Butterfly gallery from different countries and regions in Europe, Asia, America, Oceania, and Africa, which hang from the Administrative Tower’s walls, is included. Students working on their thesis, community service young people, and the School of Biological Sciences´ technicians participated on the collection. Griselda Nuñez was the curator-in-charge.

Since when are you passionate about butterflies?

— Since 2002 when I started to collect different butterflies and after having so many of them I decided to show them for people to be able to see them and enjoy them as it happens at the School of Biological Sciences.

Besides the academic effort this collection implies, what is the economic value that this type of collection may reach?

—I have not calculated everything exactly, but some of them, are worth 2 thousand pesos and others 5 thousand. The butterflies cost vary, I do not possess one that is too expensive for they are not something difficult to obtain, something that can not be bought.
After getting to know so many different butterflies, from so many countries of the world, which is the one you like the most?

—The one I keep liking the most is the monarch one, though in Australia there is a blue exemplary that is also beautiful.
Did you like butterflies when you were a child?

—Yes, furthermore, it is important to highlight that through the butterflies a person can teach children to respect nature.

This exhibition is a combination of scientific research and artistic expression…

—I did not want to put the academic part aside for we are deeply liked to it and to the service and I think this exhibition covers both aspects. We have noticed that when we take the reproduction program to the schools, children obtain better grades in Biology, for instance.

What do you expect from this exhibition?

—Yesterday I was at the Medical Service and they mentioned my name to give me the medication, and one person approached me and asked if I was Patricia Tamez and If I collected the butterflies exhibition and said “wow, it is beautiful, where did you collect it from?” Therefore, this exhibition is about sharing with others the butterflies families and color ranges.

Butterflies in the world:

Colombia: extreme colors that go from blues, oranges to browns and mottled tonalities.

Bolivia: it has the most expensive butterflies of all; due to its altitude it is difficult to have access to them. They cost a thousand and 500 dollars.

Venezuela: silver and gold-plated metallic sparkles.

Peru: is the country that sells the most butterflies. There is one morpho-transparent. There is a moth with very intense colors that looks like a butterfly.

Brazil: it is the cradle of most of the morpho butterflies´ species, so appreciated and valued for their beauty. There are some that look like maps and some that when closing portray the number 88.

Argentina: there is beauty in different shapes and colors, which is distributed in strips.

European Union: drop-shaped stains.

Africa: huge colors diversity. The strange thing is that the violet, blue, and orange combine.

India: it seems as if they chose their flag’s colors based on their butterflies´ colors. So most of them are yellow and green.

China: there is a unique butterfly that has red and rounded stains, which are similar to their flag’s symbol. Others are more “hairy”, diurnal butterflies.

Korea: the common denominator is strips and a variety of colors.

Japan: this island’s butterflies can be recognized for having green, white, and yellow bands in combination with clues, browns, and blacks.

Philippines: it has been said that the most beautiful butterflies are in the New Guinea’s region. Blue, lilac, and green colors.

Thailand: it seems that the architects designed the butterflies for we can find geometric figures with intense colors.

Australia: the colors mirror the nature. Their blue tones make them even more interesting.