Vegas Weekend Update

SPRING ARRIVES AT BELLAGIO’S CONSERVATORY & BOTANICAL GARDENS

Bright Blooms and Fantastical Oversized Ants Celebrate Beauty and Whimsy of

Mother Nature’s Busiest Season

LAS VEGAS – In celebration of spring, Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens will feature a spectacular floral exhibition filled with vivid blooms and a magnificent one-of-a-kind series of large-scale bronze sculptural ants. Inspired by the social nature of these industrious creatures, American artist Susan P. Cochran created a seven-member colony that represents the ideals of cooperation and teamwork.

Four enchanting gardens, created by Bellagio’s talented horticulture staff, will provide a lush landscape for these intricately detailed creatures. Resting below two towering yellow jonquils, a queen ant will allow guests to climb onto her back for a unique photo opportunity. The stunning 8,500-pound queen will provide an ideal vantage point for viewing an exhibit of botanical snails and bumblebees as well as brightly colored tulips, poppies, daisies, mums and daffodils.

Steps away, three 10-foot-long ants will be found attentively preparing for the warm months ahead at the mouth of a 15-foot-tall flower pot, overflowing with rainbow-hued blooms. A beautiful spring butterfly will rest atop the oversized pot while a towering 28-foot spade will stand nearby. Overhead, bumble bees made of preserved sunflowers pause mid-flight in their tireless search for nectar.

Close-by another first for Bellagio’s Conservatory, five giant mushrooms – ranging in size from 5 to 15 feet tall – will provide a natural canopy for the pair of 6-feet-tall ants found communicating below.

A jardin à la française, or French garden, will complete this fantasy botanical wonderland. Within its fragrant symmetrical borders, a large anthill will be flanked by two water spheres. A 3-foot-long ant will be seen crawling into the golden sunlight from its earthen tunnel as its industrious counterpart works nearby.

Throughout this mesmerizing exhibit, botany fans will delight to find a rare exhibition of 10 potted olive trees, each more than 100 years old. Over the years, these ancient trees have been carefully sculptured into oversized bonsai presentations.

Access to the spring exhibit within Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is complimentary to the public and will be on display March 14 through May 9.



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Spring Exhibit Facts

Display dates: March 14 – May 9

Ant Artist: Susan P. Cochran

Ant Total: 7 ants will be on display

Ant Dimensions:

Weight 800 to 8,500 pounds

Length 5 to 24 feet (queen ant)

Height 3 to 6 feet

Width 6 to 19 feet

Olive trees: 100+ years old

Flower pot: 15 feet tall

Spade: 28 feet tall

Mushrooms: 5 to 15 feet tall



Media Contact:

Shant Apelian

MGM MIRAGE Public Relations

(702) 650-7562

sapelian01@mgmmirage.com