Enormous warty pumpkins. Carnivorous plants. Immersive arachnid displays. Slithering snakes and fluttering bats. And illuminated displays of hundreds, or thousands, of ornately carved jack-o91裸聊视频�-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.
91裸聊视频淔all is a celebration of the natural world, so Halloween and botanical gardens are an organic pairing,91裸聊视频� says Michaela Wright, manager of interpretive content at the New York Botanical Garden, where October is 91裸聊视频淔all-o-Ween.91裸聊视频� The garden91裸聊视频檚 Halloween offerings began with a haunted greenhouse tour about 50 years ago, she says, 91裸聊视频渁nd it continues to evolve and expand.91裸聊视频�
This year, there91裸聊视频檚 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-o91裸聊视频�-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 91裸聊视频淣ight of 1,000 Jack-o91裸聊视频�-Lanterns91裸聊视频� features elaborately painted and carved pumpkins, along with costumed entertainers, pumpkin-carving demos, and festive food. The garden91裸聊视频檚 online adult education classes include one on 91裸聊视频� and a Halloween Hub with information about seasonal plants and pumpkins.
ZOOS TOO
Many zoos, meanwhile, are hosting Halloween programming with names like 91裸聊视频淏oo at the Zoo,91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频淶oo Boo.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲e started hosting what we call 91裸聊视频淗alGLOween91裸聊视频� back in 2017 and it91裸聊视频檚 become one of our biggest draws of the year, providing a huge audience for our conservation messages,91裸聊视频� 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. It91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no trick-or-treating. And we don91裸聊视频檛 offer candy,91裸聊视频� she says, adding that that91裸聊视频檚 a relief for many parents.
This year91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淗alGLOween91裸聊视频� features a 91裸聊视频淪keleton Band,91裸聊视频� a 91裸聊视频淏oo Crew91裸聊视频� of scarecrow stilt-walkers, and an illuminated 91裸聊视频淧ython Path91裸聊视频� through the reptile house, among other events.
An immersive display of arachnids in the Cool Critters building 91裸聊视频済ives kids a chance to learn about something that seems scary but might not be so scary in real life,91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频淲ildlife Explorers Basecamp91裸聊视频� 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 Children91裸聊视频檚 Zoo, in Indiana, is hosting a series of 91裸聊视频淲ild Zoo Halloween91裸聊视频� events. Each weekend in October has a different theme, like 91裸聊视频淪uperhero Weekend,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淧irates and Princesses Weekend,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淲itch and Wizard Day91裸聊视频� and, for those over 21, 91裸聊视频淩ock and Roar Halloween91裸聊视频� with live music and drinks.
The Bronx Zoo in New York offers 91裸聊视频淏oo at the Zoo91裸聊视频� events during the day and 91裸聊视频淧umpkin Nights91裸聊视频� after sunset. At night, guests can follow a jack-o91裸聊视频�-lantern trail of over 5,000 illuminated pumpkins while they learn about nocturnal animal behavior.
Says Martin, of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: 91裸聊视频淧eople learn best when they91裸聊视频檙e having fun, and they just may come in for some Halloween fun, and go home with a better understanding of conservation.91裸聊视频�
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