Wayside Shrine Boxes Unveiled at Archbold Biological Station
The South Florida Community College Museum of Florida Art and Culture (SFCC MOFAC) unveiled three new Wildflower Wayside Shrine boxes at Archbold Biological Station’s new education center. Each shrine box is dedicated to an endemic or endangered plant species found on the Lake Wales Ridge.
The boxes were created by SFCC MOFAC Curator Mollie Doctrow after she learned about the scrub habitat located on SFCC’s Highlands Campus. “I had been working in scrub habitat for a couple of years and appreciated its different kind of beauty,” she said. “My hope is that this project brings attention to conserving and preserving it.”
Scientists at Archbold Biological Station partnered with Doctrow and SFCC MOFAC in the creation of the boxes to provide scientific assistance in identifying the species located along the trail at SFCC. “This project has been educational for us, too,” said Dr. Hillary Swain, director, Archbold Biological Station. “Scientists and artists see the world in very different ways, but this has helped us see through the eyes of artists and appreciate new things about nature.”
The SFCC MOFAC exhibition “Celebrating the Lake Wales Ridge” is currently on display at Archbold Biological Station. The exhibition features the flora and fauna of the Lake Wales Ridge by artists Reed Bowman, David Price, John Moran, Mark Deyrup, Carlton Ward Jr., and Doctrow.
“We hope this partnership can help bring new visitors to each location,” Doctrow said. “Perhaps those people who visit SFCC MOFAC for art will now visit Archbold Biological Station, and those who visit the station for science and nature will now visit MOFAC.”
Currently, the public can visit the education center during prescheduled tours. Contact the Archbold Biological Station for dates and times. The self-guided Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail at SFCC is open to the public during college operating hours.
SFCC MOFAC Curator Mollie Doctrow (left) and Archbold Biological Station Director Dr. Hillary Swain present one of three Wildflower Wayside Shrine woodcut boxes located at Archbold Biological Station.
