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`Coleus and Creatures` images courtesy of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.
"Coleus and Creatures" images courtesy of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

'Coleus and Creatures' exhibit brings new meaning to 'plant life' at Botanical Gardens

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Mon, Aug 29th 2022 02:15 pm

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is currently featuring a brand-new exhibit called “Coleus and Creatures.”

A press release noted, “The conservatory will be filled with several cool, colorful creatures made from live plants, including dinosaur succulent topiaries, a coleus peacock, moss-made dinosaurs, a giant buffalo, a dragonfly, a shark, and more.”

The exhibit is running through Oct. 31 and will coincide with the upcoming historic mum exhibit as well as the newest exhibit in the “Gardens After Dark” series, “Creatures After Dark.”

Again, the press release said, “Visitors of ‘Coleus and Creatures’ will delight in the vibrant colors and friendly ‘creatures’ of this brand-new exhibit. These larger-than-life creatures are made from live plants. Some creatures include dinosaur succulent topiaries, a coleus peacock, moss-made dinosaurs, a giant buffalo, a dragonfly, a shark, and much more. Each of these planty friends has a fun name and an ‘All About Me’ card to tell more about their character in a way that gives ‘plant life’ a whole new meaning.

“Not only will the live plant creatures be on display, but visitors will also see and learn about dozens of dinosaurs and fossils from Past & Present throughout the entire conservatory. Visitors will see dinosaurs and other prehistoric figures such as a triceratops, brachiosaurus, wooly mammoth and a giant raptor skull. Each figure is accompanied with educational information to learn more about these prehistoric creatures. To add to the vibrance of this exhibit, hundreds of bright, colorful coleus will surround the creatures throughout the entire conservatory for some pops of color that the conservatory has never seen before.

Director of horticulture at the Botanical Gardens, Joe Mannion, said, “The horticulture team is extremely pleased with how the ‘Coleus and Creatures’ exhibit turned out. Back in May, we started planting up a stegosaurus, and we had so much fun that we started working on a Tyrannosaurus rex, pterodactyl, buffalo, a globe, and we just kept finding more and more creatures to create. We also grew 1,000 coleus plants to give us lots of vibrant colors throughout the greenhouses for the exhibit. It is amazing what our team created to make our creatures come alive, and make visitors feel like they are walking through a prehistoric world. I really encourage people to visit and get lost in this wonderful experience.” 

"Coleus and Creatures" images courtesy of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

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“Coleus and Creatures” is on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. This exhibit is included with regular admission to the Botanical Gardens. Tickets are available online at buffalogardens.com.

“Coleus and Creatures” will coincide with the upcoming and historic chrysanthemum (mum) exhibit. The mum exhibit is the Botanical Gardens’ oldest exhibit and brings many Western New Yorkers back each year to see the beautiful colors in the fall. Mums can be viewed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Oct. 1-31. This exhibit is included with regular admission.

Visitors will be able to make the most of this new experience with “Creatures After Dark,” the newest exhibit in the “Gardens After Dark” series. It’s set for 6-9 p.m. Oct. 13-14, 16, 20-21, 23, 28-30, and will highlight the other exhibits “under spectacular lights just in time for the spooky fall season for a magical, Jurassic-like adventure.”

Prepurchased tickets are required for “Creatures After Dark.” Guest passes, coupons and Arts Access passes are not valid. 

Use #ColeusAndCreatures and tag @BuffaloBotanicalGardens when posting on social media.

Proceeds benefit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to inspire curiosity and connect people to the natural world through its historic living museum. 

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