Spring entertaining: What’s not to be exited about? Now we get to enjoy the glory of our local flora and fauna. Something I’ve noticed about spring in rural Louisiana is that the bugs really let you know what time it is. With winter over, the insect community heartily sings its song with aplomb.
For this April TrendWatch, we found these wonderfully exotic creatures at the Audubon Insectarium. Just like their human counterparts, some of our insect models had tempestuous prima donna personalities. We almost learned the hard way that an angry deer horn stag beetle is not to be trifled with! In the end, however, all of our six-legged friends really pulled through, helping to showcase our spring entertaining selections from Belladonna, perch. and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Special thanks to the Audubon Insectarium, with the efforts of Meghan Calhoun, public relations manager, and handlers Ann Van Cleave, Dierdre Havnan and Anne Barker.
Waiter, There’s a Bug in My Drink
Clockwise on a designer butterfly tray by Annie Modica from Saks Fifth Avenue: Spring Leaves red wine glass with an Atlas beetle from Southern Asia, Yellow Flower porcelain cup, Morning Fern porcelain cup, Madame Butterfly glass and a second Yellow Flower porcelain cup, all from Belladonna
In the background: Red-spotted long-horned beetle on a reversible hand-woven pillow with silk-screened dragonfly pattern from perch.
In the Pink
Red and coral necklaces from Saks Fifth Avenue with extremely rare pink oblong-winged katydids bred at the Insectarium Rearing Facility, marking the first time in a century that pink katydids have been successfully bred in captivity
In background: A reversible hand-woven pillow with silk-screened flower print from perch.
All Aflutter
In foreground: Set of four Fabergé cut crystal martini glasses on designer tray by Annie Modica, all from Saks Fifth Avenue
In background: Hand-mounted and framed photograph of Mint Morpho butterfly from perch.
Top row of butterflies, from left: One-spotted Prepona, found in Mexico and South America; Common Mime, a swallowtail butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia; and Leopard Lacewing, found in South Asia
Bottom row of butterflies, from left: Paper Kite or Rice Paper butterfly from Southeast Asia; Peleides Blue Morpho, a tropical butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, Northern South America, Paraguay and Trinidad; and Banded Orange Heliconian or Orange Tiger, found in Brazil to Central Mexico
