Butterfly Room Sinisiipi

The Butterfly Room at The Ark Nature Centre showcases Finnish and tropical butterflies. Viljo Lauro’s collection of Finnish butterflies is scientifically significant and exceptionally valuable, having been collected over a long period as a comprehensive local collection. The Day Butterflies display includes, among others, Apollo, which has disappeared from Satakunta. The Tropical Butterflies display features a cross-section of the most spectacular tropical species from the Pori Lyceum collection, such as the world’s largest butterfly, White Witch (Thysania agrippina). The collections in the Butterfly Room at The Ark Nature Centre can be explored upon request. Butterfly specimens are sensitive to light, which is why the Butterfly Room is kept dark most of the time.

Significant Finnish species in Viljo Lauro’s butterfly collection:

Apollo (Parnassius apollo) / Butterflies display

Dusky Sweep (Acanthopsyche atra) / Butterflies

Yarrow pug (Eupithecia millefoliata) / Geometer moths

Lunar Yellow Underwing (Noctua orbona) / Owlet moths II

Wormwood (Cucullia absinthii) / Owlet moths I

Death’s head Hawk-moth (Acherontia atropos) / Owlet moths III, Spinners, Hawk Moths

Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) / Owlet moths I

Northern Clouded Yellow (Colias hecla) / Butterflies

Syngrapha hochenwarthi / Owlet moths I

Synanthedon polaris / Butterflies

Significant tropical species in the Pori Lyceum butterfly collection:

Birdwings belonging to swallowtails of the Pacific Islands, e.g., Common Green Birdwing (Ornithroptera priamus) / Tropical butterflies display

Butterfly species of the Morpho genus from South America, e.g., Morpho peleides