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GAINESVILLE,
Fla. --- June, 2005
The Florida Museum of Natural History received a $94,409 grant
from the Florida Wildflower Advisory Council and the Florida Wildflower
Foundation Inc. for projects that educate the public about Florida's
wildflowers and butterflies.
The "Educating
the Public about Florida's Wildflowers and Butterflies" project
will allow the Florida Museum to develop a 4,000-square-foot outdoor
demonstration garden west of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera
and Biodiversity. The museum also will develop a brochure, web
site and indoor exhibit about Florida wildflowers and butterflies.
Proceeds from sales of the state wildflower specialty license
plate funded the grant.
"The
Florida Museum's Butterfly Rainforest has generated considerable
visitor interest in butterfly gardening," said Florida Museum
Director of Informal Science Education & Outreach Betty Dunckel.
"Our demonstration garden will showcase Florida's native
wildflowers and their importance as host and nectar plants for
our native butterflies."
The demonstration
garden, which complements a University of Florida initiative to
use native plants in landscaping, will be used as a teaching model
by Florida Museum and UF classes studying botany, environmental
horticulture, landscape architecture, butterfly gardening and
native wildflowers.
The brochure*
includes 100 color photographs of Florida's native wildflowers
and butterflies. The photographs and additional information will
be included on the project's web site in an interactive format
and searchable database. The indoor exhibit located in the McGuire
Center will complement the outdoor garden through small dioramas
that illustrate and explain the relationships among wildflowers
and butterflies and their life cycles. Visitors can compare what
they see in the dioramas with what they discover outside in the
demonstration garden.
Principal
investigator Dunckel and co-principal investigators Thomas C.
Emmel and Jaret C. Daniels will oversee the project. Dunckel has
worked for more than 30 years in informal education. Emmel is
the director of the McGuire Center and has authored more than
400 publications on butterflies. Daniels, an insect ecologist,
is the McGuire Center Rearing Lab director.
The Florida
Museum of Natural History is Florida's state natural history museum,
dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting biological
diversity and cultural heritage. It is located near the intersection
of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road in the University of Florida
Cultural Plaza in Gainesville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday
and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, including ticket
prices, directions and parking information, call (352) 846-2000,
or visit the museum online, www.flmnh.ufl.edu.
* The brochure
has been completed.
To secure a copy contact:
Dona-Marie P. Mintz
Secretary
Center for Informal Science Education
Florida Museum of Natural History
Hull Road and SW 34th Street
PO Box 112710
Gainesville, FL 32611-2710
Phone (352) 846-2000 ext. 261
Fax (352) 846-0253
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