Jumalon Museum, Butterfly Sanctuary and Art Gallery
Jumalon Museum, Butterfly Sanctuary and Art Gallery is a private museum, art gallery and nature reserve run by the Jumalon Foundation. It is located in Julian N. Jumalon St. (former Macopa St.) Basak, Pardo, Cebu City, Philippines.
History
Built in 1974[1] it originally served as a residence of the late Cebuano lepidopterist Julian Jumalon.[2]
Prof. Jumalon amassed a vast collection of butterflies through his travels worldwide and by trading local Philippine species with foreign ones. Jumalon's fascination with Lepidopterans did not just end in having them preserved and framed. He wanted the butterflies close by especially the rare ones. So to invite these insects he planted his residence with butterfly food plants. He also caught live specimens and released them in his garden. His butterfly collection is known to be the oldest and perhaps the biggest in the Philippines.
At his death, a foundation (Julian N. Jumalon Foundation, Inc.) was created by his children and grand children to foster to his collection and the compound which, prior to the founder's death, has become a tourist attraction.
Attractions
Inside the compound is a salon and garden. The garden is a collection of a hundred butterfly food plant species.[3] Among these plants flutters around 50 local and foreign species of butterflies. Some rare species are hatched in captivity and later released.
Inside the salon is Jumalon's collection of butterflies and other insects. Also found inside is the histories of butterfly species. The salon also houses the paintings and other works of Jumalon, who was also an artist. Most popular among his works is his mosaics made entirely of butterly wings (lepido mosaic) from damaged butterfly taken from his collection and other collections around the world. These mosaics depicts several places around Cebu City and National Heroes among others.
References
External links
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