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Amazing Machinery Making Summer Flower Show Come To Life At Phipps Conservatory

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Spring has sprung and summer is sprouting at Phipps Conservatory.

Exhibit coordinator Jordyn Melino says there are several "Rube Goldberg" contraptions which evoke the name of a cartoonist who devised pictures of elaborate equipment used to perform simple tasks.

A push of a button sets the "Thunderstorm" in motion.

"We have a series of three ball lifts that take golf balls up to the top," Melino explains. "And then the golf balls go through the tube in the rain cloud, down through a lightning bolt, into the bucket."

That sets in motion the chicken's umbrella, which opens just in time to ward off falling "rain." Three of these concoctions were dreamed up by Phipps technician Paul Widek.

"This is our stove room," the exhibit coordinator says. "It's the home of our Butterfly Forest exhibit. We have over 21 species of butterflies."

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Steamy temperatures and a variety of blooming plants make for a flourishing habitat.

The show opened in spring and ends in October. That's a long summer. For more information, visit this link!

"I hope our visitors have a lot of fun while they're here visiting, and really enjoying all the color that is in our Summer Flower Show," Melino says.

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