BUFFALO, N.Y. — When you walk into the Buffalo Museum of Science, it's usually the big attractions that catch your eye, but its latest exhibit is showcasing its tiniest treasures.

The Lost Beauty II exhibit highlights the beauty in all the small things. They've chosen 15 items from the collection to be painted larger than so visitors can get up close and personal and find the beauty in the details.

It's a collaborative project with Western New York artist and Fredonia professor Alberto Rey.

Dimmed lights and muted tones accompany visitors through an experience of what it feels like to comb through the museum's collection room.

With 750,000 specimens in its collection, from a seven-footed frog to a blue-spotted salamander found right in Western New York, Lost Beauty II illustrates why these items are important and the work that goes into preserving them.

"We have this collection that we've been collecting since 1861," said Kathryn Leacock, the museum's deputy director. "But why, why bother? And so this is really meant to show visitors things that they wouldn't normally see. And maybe some visitors don't realize that not only does a museum have what you see in an exhibition, but they also have this other collection that's used for science, for art, for research visits."

The collection will be on display until December 31.