A 19th century fairytale book, opened to a story about a heroic black beetle, sits within a glass case at Marston Science Library.
The book is part of “Capturing Nature: The Insect World in Art,” a campus-wide exhibit showing how insects are important to different areas of study, including calligraphy, jewelry and children’s literature. The seven displays across the university will be up until July 17.
Andrea Lucky, an assistant research scientist in UF’s entomology department, said she coordinated the exhibit to teach students about bugs in a new way.
“As an entomologist, I see how insects interact with all aspects of life,” she said. “But most people don’t think about insects in that way.”
Lucky said she hopes people will pay more attention to the environment, which is rich with different insects.
“Insects are more than pests and things that sting you,” she said. “They are culturally important.”
Although experts in different fields may not notice the role bugs play in their own line of work, Lucky said insects are pivotal within many professions.
Suzan Alteri, the curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature collection in the Smathers Libraries, said she helped assemble the children’s literature display in Marston.
Alteri said the prevalence of bugs in children’s literature shows how important the books are, because they teach children about science and the environment.
“It’s always been seen as important for children to see how the world works,” Alteri said. “Literature teaches children about animals and the importance of treating them kindly.”
Alteri said she began working with Lucky on the collection about one year ago. Most of the works on display were published in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“The variety of literature shows the different ways insects are represented in society,” she said. “Broadening the perspective on bugs can really change the way people view their relationship with the environment.”
A collection of Aesop’s Fables lays open to the fable of the gnat and the lion inside Marston Science Library as part of a campus-wide exhibit titled “Capturing Nature: The Insect World in Art.” The exhibit shows how insects are important to different areas of study, including calligraphy, children’s literature and jewelry.
