Explore Wild Side of Nature during Mostly Green Halloween at Gillespie Museum
Dress up as your favorite character and discover the mysteries of the animal and plant worlds with hands-on activities and experiments during the 10th Annual Mostly Green Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Gillespie Museum.
Gillespie guides and Florida native plant interns will host learning stations in the museum and on its grounds. Attendees will have an opportunity to search for plants during a scavenger hunt, feel the diverse shapes and textures of plant parts in the Mysterious Microscope chamber, visit the fluorescent jack-o-lantern cave and examine natural shapes during an origami workshop.
Professor Minerva McGonagall of “Harry Potter” fame will teach participants chemistry basics during her Potions Lab, provided by the Stetson HATS (High Achieving Talented Students) Program. Young scientists also will have a chance to make their own wands. Lynn Albinson, director of HATS, reminds us that “it is the wand that chooses the wizard!”
Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes.
The Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem, in partnership with the Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), will launch its Adopt-a-Native-Wildflower program during the festivities. Plants and seeds from the museum’s longleaf pine micro-restoration will be available to the public, including Tall Ironweed (Vernonia angustifolia), Rayless Sunflower (Helianthus radula), Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata), Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella), Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) and Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa).
October is Florida Native Plant Month and local FNPS chapter members will be on hand to answer questions about when, where and how to plant native species. The Mostly Green Halloween event provides the community with an opportunity to bond with Florida’s native plants.
“We are pleased to be working with the Pawpaw Chapter to conserve and restore Florida’s native plant populations in our neighbors’ yards,” explained Karen Cole, Ph.D., director of the Gillespie Museum.
Visitors can also explore the museum’s mineral collections and earth science displays, including “Florida Formations” and “Storied Stones” during this science showcase.
The public is invited to participate in this free, family-friendly Halloween-themed event, which is one of the museum’s monthly Science Saturdays, and welcomes scientists of all ages (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult).
The Gillespie Museum is located at 234 E. Michigan Ave. in DeLand. For more information, call 386.822.7330 or visit www2.stetson.edu/gillespie.
-Sandra Carr
