From Nabokov's Net: Nabokov’s contributions to butterfly science & the Cornell University Insect Collection

Join us in Mann Library on March 14 for the opening celebration of our new exhibit, From Nabokov's Net: Nabokov’s contributions to butterfly science & the Cornell University Insect Collection. 

Produced in collaboration with the Cornell University Insect Collection (CUIC), the exhibit features a selection of butterfly specimens from the collection Nabokov donated to the CUIC, and celebrates his life-long love of Lepidoptera as witnessed through both fanciful and scientific butterfly illustrations, the species he described, and the fascinating scientific theories he developed.

• 4-5 pm Exhibit Talk in Mann Library Room 160: Featuring special guest speaker Naomi Pierce, Sidney A. and John H. Hessel Professor of Biology and Curator of Lepidoptera in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, whose recent research helped prove the validity of Nabokov’s scientific theories regarding butterfly migration and evolution.
• 5-7 pm Opening Reception in Mann Gallery, second floor. Remarks at 5:20 pm. Refreshments will be served.

Come learn about Nabokov’s life-long passion, celebrate his scientific contributions, and delight in the beautiful butterfly collection he left with us at Cornell. 

Both the talk and reception are free and open to all. 

In conjunction with this exhibit, the Mann lobby will also feature the exhibit No Mere Curios: Finding Nabokov’s Lepidopterist Inspiration in the Rare Books of Entomology  through August 31, 2024.