Wednesday Notes, December 13, 2023
Blue morpho butterflies float all around you. Breathtaking. Surely this is heaven, and you didn’t have to die to get there! Just head south on the Overseas Highway, all the way to Key West and then step into the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. Oh my.
The front of the conservatory looks like a typical Key West home, front porch, windows – no indication the back end is a tall glass domed conservatory with a forest setting housing 50-60 species of butterflies, brilliant colored small songbirds and, since this is Florida, not one but two flamingos – Rhett and Scarlett.
Water gurgles in streams. Birds sing. On my visit it was nest building season – I saw a songbird bringing twigs to its mate. Sweet. And Rhett was showing off for Scarlett, stamping his feet and making vocal overtures. She ignored him.
There are feeders with slices of fruit that attract butterflies.
Plants are butterfly friendly. Wherever you look, you see beauty on the wing. No wonder Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory earned the titles “best place to take kids” and “best attraction in Key West.”
The underside of a blue morpho:
One of the flamingos, I think this is Scarlett.
Conservatory hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with last admission at 4:30 p.m. Early closing on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. General admission $17.50, seniors (over 65) $14.50, children 4-12 $12.50, under the age of three admitted free.
Address: 1316 Duval Street, Key West. Phone: 305-296-2988. Website:
Fluttering around Florida finding butterflies works for me. Here are more butterfly places for you to visit, some big, some small, all special:
Butterfly World in Coconut Creek sits inside a public park. There are a series of domed buildings. All stages of a butterfly’s life are on vibrant display here. Winding paths go by thick vegetation – host and nectar plants of every variety. Every type of butterfly has preference for nectar plants (food for them) and host plants where they lay their eggs.
The first thing I saw was this – wait!
It is not a butterfly but a huge atlas moth. Look at the fake eyes and faces on either side (top of the wings) an effort to deter predators.
After wandering through the domes, step outside, cross a bridge and soon enter their native plant nursery. Be still my heart. Bring home nectar and host plants.
Butterfly World champions bringing butterflies back. They promote planting host plants, like passion vine for the gulf fritillaries and zebra longwings. In addition to their physical store, you can buy plants online – perhaps pick them up when you visit.
Don’t know the host plants for your region? No problem. Butterfly World has you covered. Download from their website a free PDF butterfly garden guide that that work for your region – all over the United States. Or pick up a copy when you visit.
Butterfly World is located at Tradewinds Park, 3600 Sample Road, Coconut Creek, Fl. Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check website for holiday hours. Phone: 954-977-4434. Website: https://butterflyworld.com/plan-your-visit-admission-rates/
Admission: $32.50 plus tax, ages 12 and up. Children: $22.50 plus tax, ages 3-11. Under the age of 2 admitted free.
Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando has some 21 demonstration gardens. My two favorites are the vegetable garden all planted in raised beds and the butterfly garden with its winding paths.
It was here in the butterfly garden that I first saw an arbor completely entwined with coral honeysuckle and the butterflies loved it along with hummingbirds. Who could resist?
Address: 1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL. Phone: 407-246-2620. Website:
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check website for holiday hours. Admission: Adult $15, children (4-17) $10.
Historic Spanish point in Osprey is part of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. They’ve built a small but mighty butterfly house. Step inside and be surrounded by butterflies. When we visited a docent explained the different kinds of butterflies floating around. Delightful.
Address: 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL. Phone: 941-366-5731. Website: https://selby.org/hsp/visit-historic-spanish-point/
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check website for holiday hours. Admission: $18 adult, $11 ages 4-17. Ages 4 and under admitted free.
Butterfly Rainforest Botanical Garden, fully enclosed, is part of the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. There are free flying butterflies and birds from around the world plus turtles and fish. Paths are lined with tropical trees, plants including bromeliads and orchids, and waterfalls.
You will not find nectar and host plants here. Adult butterflies are released to live out their short lives without reproducing. They feed on cut fruit placed on plates. Meanwhile, back in the lab inside the museum researchers raise butterflies. Some of that work can be seen through viewing windows.
Address: 3215 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL. Phone: 352-846-2000. Admission: $14 adults | $12.50 Fla. residents/college students | $12.50 seniors | $7.50 ages 3-17 | FREE for ages 0-2, UF students & Museum members. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Website: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/butterfly-rainforest/
Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens are located at 5800 Riverside Drive in Punta Gorda. It is situated on the south bank of the Peace River. An intriguing blend of world class sculpture, tropical gardens, a sensory garden, wetlands, walks, a huge koi pond and a butterfly house. Well worth a visit.
Phone: 941-621-8299. Website:
https://peacerivergardens.org/
Admission: 5 and under: Free. Students (6-17): $9. Adults: $18. Seniors (65+): $15.
Sarasota County Butterfly Club maintains the Catherine and Richard Labrie Butterfly Garden at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1311 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. It is outdoors, free and open to the public anytime. Website:
https://sarasotabutterfly.com/
Friday mornings volunteers come to work their part of the butterfly garden, usually between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Pencil this in. Excellent time to talk with butterfly gardeners, ask questions, learn new things!
Did I mention visiting the Catherine and Richard Labrie Butterfly Garden is free? Free is good.
Copyright 2023 Lucy Tobias
Photo credit: Lucy Tobias