CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Area flower lovers are invited to get a close-up look at one of the world's rare, true blue flowers, the Meconopsis (mee-koh-NOP-sis), known more widely as the Himalayan blue poppy, Saturday and Sunday (March 19-20) at the Plant Biology Conservatory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The "Himalayan Blue Poppy Show" will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission will be $3.
Visitors can see the flower often called the "elusive butterfly of the garden" and discover why this poppy is so rare that it grows in only a few areas of the world, said Deborah Black, manager of the plant biology greenhouses.
Visitors also may tour the adjacent greenhouses to view other plant collections from around the world. The conservatory is the tall greenhouse south of the main entrance on the east side of the building, located at 1201 S. Dorner Drive, Urbana.