Photos: Butterfly Pavilion nets wide-eyed visitors

Nature lovers, rejoice! The Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion is back, with up to 30 butterfly and moth species, as well as an assortment of California plants.The seasonal outdoor exhibit, which runs through Aug.

23, allows visitors to see nature up close — we’re talking walking amid hundreds of butterflies and having them land on your arms or shoulders.A $10 add-on ticket along with a museum ticket is required to explore the pavilion.

Visits last half an hour.1 2 3 1.

Visitors view other butterflies behind an owl butterfly, foreground.2.

A giant swallowtail pollinates a flower.3.

Josephine Nicolet, 6, left, Nate Nicolet and Gavin Nicolet, 9, of Reno watch the insects fly around them at the exhibition.The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.

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Follow UsKayla Bartkowski is a photojournalism fellow at the Los Angeles Times.Originally from Rochester, N.Y., she graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2024 with a degree in photojournalism and a minor in international relations.

After college, she spent the summer as a photography intern at the Boston Globe, followed by six months in Washington, D.C., where she covered politics and breaking news as an intern with Getty Images.Her work is driven by a deep interest in stories that explore the intersection of climate and the human experience.

Outside of journalism, Bartkowski loves spending time outdoors, hiking, climbing and traveling, as well as hanging out with friends and playing music.California California California California Filmmaker Ondi Timoner was overseas shooting a d...