Butterflies and beetles from the whole world are coming to Tuva

On October 15, at the National Museum of Tuva a unique exhibition of the famous collector from Krasnoyarsk, Vladimir Efremenko, “Beetles and butterflies of the world” will open. The entire collection holds more than 18 thousand specimens collected in various corners of the world. Only about 2000 specimens will be exhibited. Vladimir Efremenko has been collecting for more than 20 years, and the collection includes very rare species of butterflies and beetles.

For example, butterfly Parnassius, named in honor of the Sun God Parnas. They live along the border of Tadzhikistan and Afghanistan, at the altitude of 5 – 6 thousand meters above sea level, in the mountains. Or, for example, Tuvan karabus (scarab) beetles. There are only 3 known specimens in the world, one of which is in Vladimir Efremenko’s collection!

His collection has been exhibited not just in Russia, but also in Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, in Australia, and in other countries of the world. Vladimir has traveled all over the world in search of rare specimens – he has been to Brazil, Paraguay, Costa-Rica, Cuba, he has been to Africa, Madagascar, Java, Philippines, Papua-New Guinea, Sumatra, he has walked through the whole Europe, and, naturally, also Russia.  And, by the way, the collector Vladimir Efremenko’s name rang aloud throughout the whole country two years ago, when the Siberian was jailed in Madagascar for trying to take a rare species of butterfly out of the island.

Vladimir never sells any butterflies or beetles from his collection, but sometimes he may make a gift of one, or barter one from another specimen.

Vladimir Efremenko himself says that he collects impressions – that is something nobody can take away. That is his most valuable collection. “I would like, - says Vladimir, - people who come to my exhibition, to discover something for themselves, so that they would finally see that it is not just us, people, that live on this planet. And that they would simply realize that they are such beautiful, perfect creatures – all those bugs and butterflies!