Why does an orchid want to look like an insect?
Why did a plant learn to count?
Why does a magnificent flower smell like rotting flesh?
These and many other curious questions will be answered in the new temporary exhibition at Kosmos, the Natural History Museum of the University of Pavia, featuring some plants that do everything you wouldn’t expect from a plant, fighting like “warriors” for their own survival.
The exhibition, which presents some of the most surprising plants in the world in their habitat, matched by large photographic panels and videos that reveal their lesser-known aspects, is curated by naturalists Raffaella Fiore and Francesco Tomasinelli, in collaboration with the Orto Botanico Città Studi dell’Università di Milano and by the Orto Botanico dell’Università di Pavia.
What fascinates us about these ‘warrior’ plants? Certainly their ability, in some cases, to attack and eat insects, as some animals do, but also their ability to propagate in completely unexpected ways, with seeds similar to gliders or helicopters, or thanks to hooks that attach themselves to the fur of mammals.
The exhibition Piante guerriere. Journey among plants that believe they are animals will be open from 28 September 2024 to 2 March 2025 during Kosmos opening hours, from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00-18.00 (last admission 17.30). Closed on 25 December. Access to the exhibition is included in the entrance ticket to the Museum.
Exhibition only 4 euros.
For infos: kosmos@unipv.it – 0382 986220
