Today Lucy and I visited the Virginia Living Museum (VLM) to see their currently-running exhibit "Frogs: A Chorus of Color" (open until 7 September), and it was quite an eye-opener! Aside from hundreds of impressive and beautiful hopping creatures in nicely-appointed terrariums (terraria?) and displays detailing their varied life-styles and life-cycles (Did you know that American Bullfrog tadpoles take years to fully mature into adult Lithobates catesbeianus? I certainly didn't!), there is a serious side to the exhibit; it turns out that approximately thirty percent of all amphibians worldwide are in serious danger of extinction within your lifetime. Along with the depletion and pollution of their environments, these creatures are endangered by their collection (for use as pets) and from a deadly fungal infection that is sweeping the globe.
So, if you live in or around Hampton Roads, and if you or your kids are curious about the natural world around us, come by the VLM ( http://thevlm.org ) and see the frogs, fish, otters, birds and even wolves that live there.
Oh, did I mention that they have a planetarium and observatory?
P.S. A quick disclaimer: Lucy and I are both heavily-engaged with the VLM; I am a long-time volunteer with the Planetarium crowd and she is actually employed by the Museum. However, neither of us will profit by this unabashed "plug"--except, perhaps, through the satisfaction of "spreading the word" about a fine community resource!
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