Enormous warty pumpkins. Carnivorous plants. Immersive arachnid displays. Slithering snakes and fluttering bats. And illuminated displays of hundreds, or thousands, of ornately carved jack-oB次元官网网址�-lanterns.
Zoos and botanical gardens have become increasingly popular Halloween destinations. Their haunting array of natural installations and spooky events provide a fun addition, or alternative, to traditional trick-or-treating.
They also are a teachable moment, naturalists and conservationists say.
B次元官网网址淔all is a celebration of the natural world, so Halloween and botanical gardens are an organic pairing,B次元官网网址� says Michaela Wright, manager of interpretive content at the New York Botanical Garden, where October is B次元官网网址淔all-o-Ween.B次元官网网址� The gardenB次元官网网址檚 Halloween offerings began with a haunted greenhouse tour about 50 years ago, she says, B次元官网网址渁nd it continues to evolve and expand.B次元官网网址�
This year, thereB次元官网网址檚 a Halloween pumpkin patch that includes exotic heritage varieties in blues, pinks and other surprising colors, in addition to varieties covered in warts. Master pumpkin carver Adam Bierton, a sculptor from Rochester, New York, known for his life-like jack-oB次元官网网址�-lanterns, hosts weekend pumpkin-carving events. And of course there is the annual display of giant pumpkins, some weighing in at .
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, the B次元官网网址淣ight of 1,000 Jack-oB次元官网网址�-LanternsB次元官网网址� features elaborately painted and carved pumpkins, along with costumed entertainers, pumpkin-carving demos, and festive food. The gardenB次元官网网址檚 online adult education classes include one on B次元官网网址� and a Halloween Hub with information about seasonal plants and pumpkins.
ZOOS TOO
Many zoos, meanwhile, are hosting Halloween programming with names like B次元官网网址淏oo at the Zoo,B次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址淶oo Boo.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e started hosting what we call B次元官网网址淗alGLOweenB次元官网网址� back in 2017 and itB次元官网网址檚 become one of our biggest draws of the year, providing a huge audience for our conservation messages,B次元官网网址� says Lisa Martin, a wildlife care ambassador for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
The event started as a single weekend in October, and was so popular it was expanded to two weekends, she says. ItB次元官网网址檚 now held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for most of October, and Halloween has become one of the most popular times of the year at the zoo.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no trick-or-treating. And we donB次元官网网址檛 offer candy,B次元官网网址� she says, adding that thatB次元官网网址檚 a relief for many parents.
This yearB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淗alGLOweenB次元官网网址� features a B次元官网网址淪keleton Band,B次元官网网址� a B次元官网网址淏oo CrewB次元官网网址� of scarecrow stilt-walkers, and an illuminated B次元官网网址淧ython PathB次元官网网址� through the reptile house, among other events.
An immersive display of arachnids in the Cool Critters building B次元官网网址済ives kids a chance to learn about something that seems scary but might not be so scary in real life,B次元官网网址� says Martin.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park just north of the city also features a bat house.
And at the zoo, which is also an accredited botanical garden, a B次元官网网址淲ildlife Explorers BasecampB次元官网网址� has all kinds of bugs, and bee and ant colonies. Elsewhere, horticulturists are on hand to answer questions about seemingly spooky plants like strangle-vines and vampire dragon orchids.
Fort Wayne ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Zoo, in Indiana, is hosting a series of B次元官网网址淲ild Zoo HalloweenB次元官网网址� events. Each weekend in October has a different theme, like B次元官网网址淪uperhero Weekend,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淧irates and Princesses Weekend,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淲itch and Wizard DayB次元官网网址� and, for those over 21, B次元官网网址淩ock and Roar HalloweenB次元官网网址� with live music and drinks.
The Bronx Zoo in New York offers B次元官网网址淏oo at the ZooB次元官网网址� events during the day and B次元官网网址淧umpkin NightsB次元官网网址� after sunset. At night, guests can follow a jack-oB次元官网网址�-lantern trail of over 5,000 illuminated pumpkins while they learn about nocturnal animal behavior.
Says Martin, of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: B次元官网网址淧eople learn best when theyB次元官网网址檙e having fun, and they just may come in for some Halloween fun, and go home with a better understanding of conservation.B次元官网网址�
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