May Natural History Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The museum entrance | |
 | |
Former names | May Museum of Natural History of The Tropics |
|---|---|
| Established | 1952 |
| Location | Rock Creek Park, Colorado, United States |
| Coordinates | 38°42′19″N 104°50′26″W / 38.7051511°N 104.8406412°W |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Collections | Insects |
| Collection size | approximately 7,000 specimens |
| Founder | John May |
| President | Carla Marjorie Harris |
| Website | coloradospringsbugmuseum |
May Natural History Museum is an entomology museum in Rock Creek Park, Colorado. The museum describes its holdings as the world's largest private insect collection. The museum's insects and arachnids were collected by amateur naturalist James May from 1903 until his death in 1956; the museum was founded by his son, John May, in 1952.
The May Museum consists of unique 7,000 specimens of insects and spiders housed in custom-made cases with handwritten labels.[1][2] The collection includes a wide variety of insects including beetles, butterflies, centipedes, and more, from locations in South America, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.[2] Some specimens included in the museum's collections are now thought to be extinct.[3]
The museum is advertised by a giant statue of a Hercules beetle known as Herkimer, the world's largest beetle.[4][5] Herkimer stands on Colorado State Highway 115 as a landmark directing visitors to the museum and campgrounds.[6]
