A museum displaying thousands of specimens of insects, with a focus on butterflies, is set to open in the town of Yamatsuri in Fukushima Prefecture in the spring.

Makoto Nakae, a 69-year-old resident of Yokohama and a researcher of swallowtail butterflies, has offered some rare species that he collected around the world. The collection includes Japan*s only display of an extinct butterfly species native to South America.

In addition to roughly 10,000 items from Nakae*s collection, butterfly collectors and enthusiasts worldwide have offered to provide between 20,000 and 30,000 items for display and storage at the museum. The museum plans to continue welcoming offers.