GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History visitors will have an opportunity to play an “animal murder mystery game” and participate in other free family-friendly activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 14 during opening day of the new featured exhibition, “Wicked Plants: The Exhibit.”

Visitors can speak with Florida Museum botanists who will bring specimens from the collections, or play “pollinator vision” and “match the plant with the pollinator” with Gators Reaching Out With Botany.

Other participants include Alachua Conservation Trust, the City of Gainesville Nature Operations Division, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville, the Edible Plant Project, Florida Poison Information Center and the University of Florida Natural Area Teaching Laboratory.

In the murder mystery game, guests play detective by visiting five stations for clues to uncover which wicked plant killed “Sammy the Squirrel.”

“I hope that visitors will come away from the celebration being more aware of the plants around us and the ways in which they can affect our lives,” said museum educator Chelsea Collison.

“Wicked Plants” educates visitors about harmful botanicals through interactive displays featuring more than 100 plants.

While opening day activities are free, admission to “Wicked Plants” is $7.50 for adults ($6.50 for Florida residents, seniors and college students); $4.50 for ages 3-17 and free to museum members and University of Florida students with a valid Gator 1 card.

The exhibit is based on Amy Stewart’s 2009 book “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities.” Stewart will speak and sign books at a members-only reception on May 21 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For membership information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/membership.

The Florida Museum will display “Wicked Plants” through Jan. 15, 2017. The exhibit it is funded by the North Carolina Arboretum Society and the Creel-Harison Foundation with contributions from the 150th Anniversary Cultural Plaza Endowment.

For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wickedplants.

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Writer: Elizabeth Brown, 352-273-2034, ebrown@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Chelsea Collison, 352-273-2062, ccollison@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu