Later this month for Valentine’s Day, the Butterfly Pavilion invertebrate zoo is hosting its annual Romance is Wild exhibit, honoring the wild and wacky mating rituals in the tiny animal kingdom.

Westminster’s Butterfly Pavilion is a zoo that studies and displays all manner of invertebrates, from butterflies and beloved Rosie the Chilean rose hair tarantula to a variety of underwater invertebrates, such as corals and urchins. The month-long celebration of romance coincides with the pavilion’s quarterly Bugs and Brews event, the 21+ evening affair that opens the zoo after hours for adults looking to have a unique experience.

“This quarter the event is themed to Romance is Wild, and will include a few drinks, talks from our arachnologist and invertebrate speed dating,” Adult Programs Coordinator Megan Schulz said.

The speed dating event features a Bachelor-style contest between invertebrate participants, where attendees can vote on which is their favorite by giving out roses.

“Butterfly Pavilion’s most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes will be there … you just might find your buggy valentine,” Schulz said.

One of the pieces of information that will be highlighted at the event is the complicated nature of invertebrate romance, where invertebrates often work to impress their mates at the risk of being eaten.

Male jumping spiders will perform an intricate dance while waving their front legs in specific patterns. If they make a wrong move in their choreography, their mate might decide they look more like prey than a potential mate. The peacock jumping spider uses its iridescent abdomen to perform its mating ritual, waving its legs like pom-poms for the dance routine.

Bugs and Brews will take place Feb. 13 at the pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster, and begins at 6 p.m. Other events at the pavilion throughout February will continue to highlight invertebrate romance, including the family after-hours event on Tuesday. The adults-only “There’s No Sex Like Insects’” talk is on Thursday.

These events and everything the pavilion works towards is all in the name of invertebrate conservation and education. Although they make up 97% of the world’s animal population and fill critical roles in the ecosystem, invertebrates are critically understudied.

“The whole point of all this is just to spread some love and appreciation for invertebrates,” Schulz said. “We don’t know too much about them, and we want this education and widespread love for all our fuzzy and not fuzzy creatures to go throughout the world.”