What's bugging Belva? Everything under the sun -- or the stars.

And that pretty much sums up what's new at the North Museum of Natural History & Science.

Now, generations of visitors know the museum at the edge of Buchanan Park for its educational but fun approach to science. This summer, three recently-opened exhibits carry on that tradition.

Let's start with Belva. She's a bug, and none too happy about it.

She is, however, the star of "What's Bugging Belva?" which, among other things, teaches kids -- and Belva, too -- that's it's cool to crawl, fly, perch in trees and do all the things bugs do, including contribute to the well-being of the environment.

"Some insects are part of the recycling crew," says Amanda Eckinger, the North's marketing and membership coordinator. "They help with the decomposition process."

Which, in the end, helps Belva feel better about herself. Presented in the style of a children's book, the exhibit also allows youngsters to gaze through a special viewer that simulates seeing through a compound eye (now you know why flies always see you coming with the swatter) and learn about burrowing bugs that lie in wait below the ground to trap their prey.

That, by the way, is presented in an amusing form of mini-golf, in which participants can try to get their ball around "The Sand Trap of Doom," where an ant lion lurks.

That ant lion is a facsimile. The Giant Prickly Stick Insect from Australia is real. And alive, even if it doesn't move much. But you can see it up close and personal, hanging out on a branch.

Also alive -- and prettier -- are the butterflies which can be found upstairs. They flit and flutter in their own indoor garden, located in the museum's second-floor gallery. It's a sunny space, which is appropriate, given the theme of what else is happening at the North.

"SunWorks" celebrates what lights up life on earth. A display such as this can only be, well, sunny, even if it's cloudy outside.

The exhibit showcases works selected from the traveling "SunWorks" art contest held by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency.

It illustrates -- literally -- "the ways people are influenced by the sun," Eckinger says. Because the sun shines on us all, there's art from places such as Poland, Denmark and Venezuela, and kids visiting the North are welcome to craft their own sun-related projects.

Pieces in the exhibit range from stained glass to hammered metal to an impressive "Egyptian Sun Goddess," a plaster cast and mixed media work created by a 7th-grader from Colorado. Fun facts about the sun are scattered throughout the display as well.

But the sun has to set eventually, and that's when the stars take over. Which gets many a mind wondering "What's out there?" The "Planet Hunter" is out to seek answers.

Portrayed by "Cosmic Mike" Smith every Friday at 1 p.m., the Planet Hunter invites visitors to the North's planetarium to find what worlds might lie beyond our own solar system.

Smith's character, says Eckinger, "has kind of an Indiana Jones feel." The Planet Hunter interacts with video-projected actors who play agents from the FBI -- the "Fun But Interesting" bureau. And if Smith's name sounds familiar, the North's senior astronomy educator and a biweekly Saturday columnist for the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era.

We all have to come back to earth sometime. But under just one roof at the North Museum, summer visitors young and old can go from a bug's humble world to the far reaches of the skies. And it's all in your own backyard.

"What's Bugging Belva?"

Cont. through Sept. 25

"SunWorks"

Cont. through Aug. 7

"Planet Hunter"

Fri. 1 p.m. Cont. through Aug. 18

Reg. hours and admission: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. noon-5 p.m. $7.50 adults, $6.50 seniors and children 3-12. (Planetarium $2.50 extra)

North Museum of Natural History & Science

400 College Ave. 291-3941

www.northmuseum.org.