Nature on Display: The most appealing exhibit to me was the underwater ecosystem exhibit with the microscopes. I have always loved microscopes so seeing them with a bunch of samples to look at drew me to the exhibit immediately. I learned that crab embryos looked nothing like crabs and that the sea is full of color that we can't see with the naked eye. I found the hyperbole of the beauty of the sea to be the most enjoyable in the museum because the sea is one of my favorite places on earth. ---FLNMH
Nature and Ethics: I think that the information and history given through out the museum gave a new appreciation to the ecosystems of Florida as Leopold illustrated. I felt very small walking through the museum, as the size of the ocean and the land here is so much larger than we can ever comprehend. Other people seemed to be reacting similarly, marveling at the beauty and mystery of the unknown ocean. The interactions with microscope and with other hands on activities allowed visitors to connect with a very real side of nature and allowed to grow an ethical responsibility to keep the beauty I interacted with beautiful. ---FLNMH
Nature and the Human Spirit: One of the things that really pulled me from reality was my personal fear of butterflies. I know it's irrational and makes zero sense but as long as I can remember they have terrified me. Facing my fear to walk through the exhibits took a lot of concentration and breathing which had me completely focused. While my fear may be real, so many people love butterflies and the museum helped illustrate to me how through all of the beauty in the world someone finds that beauty terrifying. ---FLNMH