Jake is a pretty busy 4 year old. Right now he's only slowing down long enough to pause for a scratch.
"Itch!" he says while scratching his arms.
Scratching is ironic because of where he and older sister Maren ended up.
"It's on my stomach, it's on my arms, it's on my hands,” says 10-year-old Maren Keplinger.
Poison ivy is one of several "Wicked Plants" in a museum exhibit that’s anything, but traditional.
"(It’s) spookier than I thought it would be,” Maren admits.
Darcie MacMahon, the director of exhibits and public programs at the Florida Museum of Natural History, agrees.
"This is more immersive,” Darcie says of the lowly-lit exhibit.
The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville has a new exhibit dedicated to "Wicked Plants" that can make you itch, like mother Suzanne Haskell.
"(We) moved to Virginia and have constantly poison oak or poison sumac or something all over me,” Jake and Maren’s mom says.
Wicked Plants is a fun way to learn about what can hurt you.
"The evil doers of the plant kingdom,” Darcie calls the plants that may be hiding in your backyard or garden right now.
A dining room setting is home to a table with kidney beans, corn and almonds that can make you sick when not cooked right.
Visitors pick up a decoder ring instead of a fork to discover the harmful effects of celery and other produce like potatoes and mangos.
"Mangos are actually related to poison ivy, and some people may have experienced this when they are peeling an Mango because it's the oils in the skin that cause a poison ivy-like rash,” Darcie says.
"These are plants that are toxic that can make you sick or sometimes even kill you," she says.
She’s not kidding. Bella, a mannequin within the exhibit, is dead.
"Not real, dead woman,” Darcie is quick to point out.
Bella’s display plays out like a murder mystery, where visitors discover what plant harmed the once living senior.
Over in the bathroom, there's stinky plants in the toilet and on the counter, like “Stinking Benjamin.” Fragrance boxes urge visitors like Maren to whiff, when she’s not scratching.
"When you don't scratch it, it wants you to scratch it more,” she says of her poison ivy rash.
NOTE: Because of the haunted sets and use of Bella, the elderly cadaver, parental discretion is advised by the Florida Museum of Natural History. The museum warns the exhibit “may not be suitable for all ages.”
General admission is free, although donations are gladly accepted. “Wicked Plants” carries an admission rate of $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for Florida residents and seniors are $4.50. Ages 3-17 are free.
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