Trip - Taiwan D5 - Mu Sheng Insect Museum

Good Morning Blog,

Thinking back on our Taiwan itinerary, ours was mainly mountains and themed locations.

Today we would head out to our last city - Taichung. Goodbye, Puli for hosting us. Sadly, didn't have enough to visit most of the places here. One day, I will be back again.

So where are we heading next? Based on the title, we will be heading to a museum as it is along the way to Taichung.

(credit QH) No more warm clothing, but I didn't bring enough pants, so I had to wear them again. If we go to Taichung, I will need to get a pair.

On our way, I spotted some beautiful trees like a bonsai.

Muh Sheng Museum of Entomology aka Musheng Insect Museum 木生昆蟲博物館

Beautiful logo

In Singapore, Sentosa, we also have our own insect museum and today, let's see what this place looks like.

I must thank SJ and QH for agreeing to go to this museum because they know I love insects a lot. They could have simply shown less interest in this suggestion, but they didn't. 😊 Bless them.

Oooo, how nice to have a butterfly 🦋 greeted us by the entrance.

Got our tickets. NT150 is relatively affordable.

It seemed like we were their first visitors of the day!

Hello, hello 🦜 we were hoping to get some response from them but ended up, we became the parrots.

I heard some information shared by the driver, this place used to be popular but with some hiccups, it is going downhill.

A simple layout of an insect museum. If I am loaded, I will make sure that I make it big and filled with more live insects. Speaking of live insects...

The staff opened the cage and started to bring the insects to us! What an unexpected experience!

I have never come so close to those stick insects!

Most of the time, they camouflage so well that we barely notice them at all.

The staff explained to us patiently what those insects are and their habits, etc.

Look how well they camouflage.

Fortunately, they don't bite, but their spiky legs can be intimidating.

And they are perfect insect pets which can handle your hands gently.

The friendly and passionate staff continued to explain more.

Ooo, I felt like a little kid, holding them in my hands. I always want to do it whenever I watch them on TV or YouTube.

Oooo! Leaf insect! They look amazing!

SJ handled male and female, but his wife stayed far away.

It held my hands cautiously.

Selfie moment with it!

To some people, they thought that stick insects do not have wings...

...but they do!

I was seeing some of these insects for the first time.

If the whole visit without this passionate staff, it will be very boring for most people.

Gecko that wasn't shy when you looked at it.

OMG! Giant Millepede! Can I keep this?!

I'm not keeping this one. Haha, it's quite intimidating! It's better to admire it from behind a screen.

And this one too! I don't have the iron balls to hold them in my hands.

I think again... okay nope.

Encountering a huntsman spider (enclosed) for the first time is truly an experience; its size alone is impressive. It's understandable why it can be a source of fear.

Scorpion's tail is scary.

Praying Mantis is fine but by the way, this one looks special.

Got land scorpion, there is Giant Waterbug (water scorpion) and I got this one before, it was painful!

Giant Hissing Cockroach! YES! I always want to handle them!

(Credit Driver) We were so engrossed into their insect displays.

The next insect that he showed us, is my dream pet insect - Rhinoceros Beetle! It resembles a living toy.

Megasoma elephas

Beetle without horns

OOOO! Stag Beetle!

I love this one so much! Fierce and cool!

Short jaws and effective.

They were busy feeding so they won't fly away.

Chrome coloured beetle like a mini car!

The gold pupa is impressive.

The same species can exhibit different color variations of exterior.

Some preserved butterflies for...

...art display.

On the second floor of the Mu Sheng Insect Museum, there are artworks that use butterfly wings as a color base, and they are stunning. Photography is prohibited, so I'm unable to share much. The vintage paintings there utilize the reflective quality of butterfly wings as a color foundation, adding depth to the entire piece. If I had many dead butterflies, I would definitely create one myself.

After finishing our visit to the second floor, we were about to proceed to the butterfly enclosure. The area began to fill up with families and children.

The staff advised us to apply this natural repellent to our feet to prevent ants from climbing up our legs.

We joined in the tour from the local and he started to introduce to the kids on basic understanding on metamorphosis. What a difficult spelling!

The kids got a bit overly excited so I just exited mysefl from the group and explored on my own.

Butterfly enclosure!

Don't know why... there was a song playing in my head... If you know this drama series.

Everyone crowded into a corner, and I found myself seeking a quiet place away from the crowd.

Leaf-like butterfly.

Many leaves on a plate but those were butterflies!

Beautiful Beauty-flies! Wait! Butter*flies!

I was hoping to find the blue butterfly which they don't have it.

White butterfly will do too.

It was so difficult to capture them from my phone camera.

I managed to take a few pictures, although some turned out blurry.

I'm curious how many different butterfly species there.

So fgar, I managed to capture this; third one.

Looked different but these are the same as above.

Some will surprise me with different wings design.

Regarding blue butterflies, they are indeed crafted into pendants. I would like to own one, but unfortunately, just a wildful thought...

...because there are so many cute things to capture my attention! I couldn't take one of them home, especially the rhino beetle or spider... So, I just took a picture and treated it as if I already owned them.

Oh my! I want this... But I can't just take one because it comes in a pair...

I won't want to take one back... I will take in pair but... I should not think it again. It will stay in my memory.

On 10th Jun 2024 (June overview) - My elder brother got me that beetle I wanted in Taiwan. Funny thing was that he was not aware of it. Now it was like a God-sent gift. :)

It's time to depart from this location and head to Taichung. My overall impression is that this place surpasses the Singapore Insect Kingdom; however, it's unfortunate that it doesn't generate sufficient awareness or organize events to enhance the museum's appeal. The insect displays are somewhat limited. I hope the insect museum (if I am loaded) could emulate the expansive displays of the Taiwan International Insect Exhibition (which you can search in Youtube), which is truly awe-inspiring, even for those who aren't particularly fond of insects.

Jeff