Tropical Botanic Artists, a collective of South Florida botanical illustrators, created an exhibit highlighting some of the many interactions between species in Biscayne National Park. Encounters: Friend or Foe? will be on display in the park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center gallery from March 10 through May 14, 2017. The exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and a full moonrise reception featuring a talk by the artists will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. Admission to the show and the reception is free.

“The interaction of plants and animals in Biscayne National Park’s terrestrial and aquatic environments is a subject that deserves closer scrutiny by all,” the artists said in a statement. “In this exhibition, artists from the Tropical Botanic Artists collective bring these interactions to the forefront through a series of illustrations using various artistic approaches. Their aim is to increase awareness of the vital interdependence among species, both on land and in the water, and to focus attention on how these complex interactions affect the world we live in.”

Encounters: Friend or Foe? is part of the park’s Community Artists Program, started in 1997 as an outlet for the works of artists who are inspired by the beauty of the park. The program is made possible by the South Florida National Parks Trust through the generosity of the Miami-Dade County Division of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Additional support comes from donations by show visitors.