(Photos provided by the High Desert Museum)
Ant exhibit curated by Dr. Mark Moffett, “the Indiana Jones of entomology.”
Small yet abundant, with complex and wildly diverse lifestyles, ants may be found nearly everywhere around the globe except for Antarctica, the Arctic and some isolated islands. These creatures live mostly hidden from view, but what if we could see into their world? Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants is an exhibit which opens January 23 at the High Desert Museum that uncovers and magnifies the fascinating world of ants.
“Ants have fascinating and complex social structures, they impact their surroundings and use incredible team work in their colonies,” said Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “Ants are among the most diverse and abundant organisms on earth. This exhibition highlights how they use these significant adaptations in their world.”
Featured in the exhibition are large-scale color photographs, a three-dimensional aluminum cast of an ant nest and touchable oversized ant models. Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution Dr. Mark Moffett curated this traveling exhibit, which highlights the ecology and dynamic nature of these tiny creatures. Moffett is an ecologist, explorer and photojournalist who has discovered new species and behaviors of ants and is referred to as “the Indiana Jones of entomology” by the National Geographic Society.
An Exclusive Members’ Opening Reception for Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants will be held on January 22 from 6–8pm with light refreshments and a no-host bar. Cost for members is free and guests $5. RSVP http://www.highdesertmuseum.org/rsvp or call 541-382-4754 ext. 241. For information on this and other museum exhibits, visit www.highdesertmuseum.org.
“Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants,” featuring the photographs of Mark W. Moffett, is organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). With local support from Avion Water Company and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.
