Last night after a busy day in San Fransisco with Mom and Grandma, I joined Jen at The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. There was a special talk to tie in with their Wicked Plants exhibit, on The Fine Art of Poisoning by Dr. Olson, Medical Director, San Francisco Division, California Poison Control System.

The talk was very interesting I enjoyed learning that it's safe for kids to eat a few beans from the Castor Bean plant (ricinus communis), especially if they don't chew them too much. Ricin poison derived from these beans can cause serious poisoning, mostly when it's been extracted and then injected or inhaled. Overall, the thesis of the was that while several plants are hallucinogenic or can make you pretty sick, it's unlikely that you'll die suddenly by eating any plant, even ones that are poisonous.

I think that the very best part of the evening though was simply enjoying the plants. The air was humid and still inside the greenhouses and smelled like damp earth. The recessed lighting highlighted the plants in a beautiful, mysterious way. I could easily sit alone in that conservatory for the whole evening just breathing in the plants.

If you haven't been to the Conservatory recently, definitely go check it out!
http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/atconservatory