GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History will host its large spring plant sale and a special butterfly photography workshop in April.

Preparations for the plant sale
Ryan Fessenden, “Butterfly Rainforest” manager, sets out plants for the spring plant sale. ©Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Visitors to the spring plant sale, April 5-7, may select from more than 150 species of edible, accent, host and nectar plants. April 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, the museum will also offer a “Butterfly Rainforest” photography workshop.

“The Florida Museum of Natural History’s spring sale is our single largest sale of the year, featuring some of the best native pollinator-attracting plants for North Central Florida,” said Ryan Fessenden, “Butterfly Rainforest” manager. “Whether you are just starting out butterfly gardening or looking to add to your existing garden, there will be plenty to choose from, including rare and hard-to-find species.”

The plant sale will be held outside the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5-6, and from 1 to 5 p.m. April 7. Prices range from $4 for small pots to $20 for the most difficult-to-find plants, with proceeds benefiting the “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit.

The Picture Perfect Photography Workshop allows participants to use tripods and other equipment not usually permitted in the “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit.

Patrons snapping photos
Workshop participants snap photos in the “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit. ©Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Staff will be available to help stage photos with newly emerged butterflies, providing an opportunity to capture close-ups of colorful species like the iridescent Blue Morpho.

“Picture Perfect is a wonderful opportunity to visit the museum before opening and photograph our butterflies,” Fessenden said. “Participants can bring their equipment or just a point-and-shoot camera and enjoy photographing butterflies in a beautiful setting.”

Workshop participants must be 18 or older. The fee is $40 for adults or $35 for museum members and includes exhibit entry.

Photos taken at the Florida Museum, including those taken during the workshop, may not be used commercially. For the more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu/visit/plan.

For more information about the plant sale, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/spring-plant-sale/2019-04-05 or call 352-273-2057.

For more information about the workshop, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/photo-workshop or call 352-273-2057.

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Writer: Gillian Sweeney, 352-273-2032, PRintern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Ryan Fessenden, 352-273-2057, rfessenden@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu