Florida’s Butterflies & How to Garden for Them (ID Course & Field Practice)

***Florida’s Butterflies & How to Garden for Them*** is a neatly packaged presentation that shares a lifetime of information gleaned from the author’s interest in Florida’s butterflies and his efforts to attract them to the home landscape. Answered are the questions: Why garden for butterflies, what makes butterflies different from moths, and why are populations declining? Also highlighted are their life cycles, host, and favorite nectar plants. Attendees will learn ways they can easily attract these flying beauties to their own properties. The author has participated in annual North American Butterfly Association counts throughout Central Florida for the last 10 years and has a good knowledge of Florida’s butterfly species, their native hostplants, and the perils they face.

Following the presentation, we will walk through the butterfly garden and native plant areas to observe butterflies. Ed (presenter/instructor) will be available to assist with identification. Depending on how many butterflies we see, we may also go for a short hike to look for additional species. The classroom and butterfly garden area are fully accessible for limited mobility guests.

***** This program is being offered for free and the instructor is donating his time. Tip donations for the instructor are optional, and greatly appreciated.*****

**About our instructor (Ed Perry):**
Ed Perry recently retired as a 31-year Park Ranger at Sebastian Inlet State Park. He enjoys fishing, butterfly gardening, growing & grafting tropical fruit trees, beachcombing (for sea-beans!), tropical fish aquaria, wildlife photography, and sharing life with his twenty-four-year-old daughter Gayle (single father). Ed is a 56 year-old Florida native that graduated from the University of Florida in 1988. In his retired life he became interested in being involved in butterfly counts and protecting tracts of native, wild lands within our beautiful state of Florida.