BioWorks Butterfly Garden and Flight Encounter Exhibit

The BioWorks Butterfly Garden at MOSI is a unique outdoor butterfly exhibit that focuses on butterflies native to West Central Florida. The exhibit includes:

• Flight Encounter: A free-flying butterfly enclosure where guests can encounter butterflies up close as they feed on native and Florida-Friendly nectar plants. The Flight Encounter is open year-round at scheduled times during museum hours; guests should check their daily schedule upon arriving at MOSI for Flight Encounter times for that day.

• Butterfly Garden: The butterfly garden directly adjacent to BioWorks contains native and Florida-Friendly nectar and host plants. This garden provides a model for homeowners who wish to create their own butterfly gardens. The outdoor butterfly garden is open year-round during museum hours.

• Engineered Marsh and Wastewater Treatment Model: Outdoor tanks clean water by providing a place for microbes, plants, and animals to thrive. The indoor marsh contains wetland plants, fish, and turtles.

• Animal Husbandry Lab: Unique among butterfly houses, BioWorks does not buy or import butterflies. Instead, butterflies in our exhibit are raised from eggs and caterpillars found on-site, demonstrating the entire life cycle. Though the lab itself is not open to guests, large windows provide viewing of the lab and curator activities.

• Multimedia Classroom and Viewing Area: Our air-conditioned classroom provides benches for observing the Flight Encounter through a wall of windows. Guests can also use a microscope to look at butterflies up close, watch an informative slide-show, and pick up free brochures about butterfly gardening.

Historic Tree Grove:
MOSI Outside also houses the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove, offering a unique timeline of America's history as it was viewed by silent witnesses, trees. The 18 trees in the grove are all seedlings of trees that witnessed amazing historic events or were associated with famous historical people. The tree grove is landscaped throughout to provide more habitat for wildlife, including butterflies. Click here to learn more about the Historic Tree Grove.

Volunteering With MOSI Outside:
We welcome volunteers ages 16 and older to work in the Butterfly Garden and Animal Husbandry Lab. Click here for more information about volunteer duties and opportunities.

About Our Sponsors
Major funding for the BioWorks Butterfly Garden comes from Bank of America, The Jacarlene Foundation, and Southwest Florida Water Management District.

More about BioWorks Butterfly Garden:

• Lepcurious is the regularly updated blog for the BioWorks Butterfly Garden which addresses current garden topics and happenings.
• MOSI Outside is a Flickr photo-sharing group for photographers who have snapped pictures all around the gardens and forest at MOSI.
• Lepcurious Tweets is the regularly updated Twitter feed for the BioWorks Butterfly Garden. Follow us and get in the conversation!
• Lepcurious on Facebook  the BioWorks Butterfly Garden Facebook account. Friend us and keep updated with what is going on in the gardens.

MOSI would like to thank American Meadows for their recent donation of plants. The additional plants will help us further dress our beds and possibly expand some our our planting areas.
 

American Meadows is a leading national supplier of seeds, flower bulbs and perennial plants.