Beading Circle

Guests capture a bug’s-eye view of some common backyard insects and their habitat in Backyard Monsters, the newest exhibit in the Mashantucket Gallery. Visitors step into a world where insects tower over humans. Giant robotic insects up to 96 times their normal size, all with lifelike colors and movements, dominate the exhibition. Insect seekers come face to face with an animated 11-foot-tall, 22-foot-long tarantula, a 19-foot-wide monarch butterfly, and a pair of giant fighting beetles. Hands-on displays allow visitors to take a mechanical insect for a walk, build a bug, learn how insects communicate, make a bug rubbing, and more. With a focus on nature and natural history, the exhibit is educational while capturing the attention and imagination of children and adults. A Preview Day package is available on Feb. 15 only. From Feb.16 to May 17, the exhibit is free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.  . .