In this companion lecture to the current temporary exhibit at Museum of the Everglades, Growing Obsession, Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear will focus on the now infamous case of attempted theft—immortalized in Susan Orlean’s iconic book The Orchid Thief—in the nearby Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve Park. The sordid story of Homestead horticulturist John Edward Larouche and his perfidious plan to purloin and propagate rare Ghost Orchids, along with other crimes of floral passion, will be discussed.
March, 2026
Flowers and Felonies in the Fakahatchee Lecture
Event Details
Organizer
Collier County Museums
The mission of the Collier County Museum Division is to engage residents and visitors in appreciation and understanding of our communities’ unique heritage and cultural development. It’s a story that’s far too big to be told in just one visit – or one museum.
The mission of the Collier County Museum Division is to engage residents and visitors in appreciation and understanding of our communities’ unique heritage and cultural development.
It’s a story that’s far too big to be told in just one visit – or one museum.