“Many of the coolest-looking bugs ... are right in people’s yards. They’re exotic just because people haven't seen them at the same scale as dogs and horses and cats.”

—Sam Droege, wildlife biologist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, part of the US Geological Survey.

You may have seen a bee, beetle, or caterpillar up close, but Insects Face to Face will give you a whole new perspective, bringing you, well, face to face with these astounding insects through larger-than-life photos.

Fluorescent, menacing, and even cute. Macro photography allows these insects to break into the human-scale world and become more than a dot on the wall. These carefully created photographs were taken by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey Bee Inventory Monitoring Lab. This program develops large and small scale surveys for native bees, including identification tools like detailed pictures of native bees and the plants and insects they interact with.

The outrageous images selected for this exhibition reveal an intricate world of color, pattern, and texture unlike any other on our planet. Visitors will see more than 30 large-scale photographs of animals ranging from common honeybees to “cute” cockroaches to regal lace bugs.

Head to our fourth floor photography gallery to ogle at organisms that make up most of the living species on the planet. Insects Face to Face is free for members and included with general admission.