This area is currently undergoing renovation! The Florida Museum is continually looking for new ways to enhance the visitor experience and are working to re-imagine this outdoor space. We appreciate your understanding and are excited to unveil the improvements soon.
Walk along the wildflower garden path on the west side of the Florida Museum for ideas on transforming your yard into an inviting and colorful haven for butterflies and other wildlife. Then, turn your own garden into a pollinator paradise with Florida-friendly plants sold daily inside the Museum.
Wildflowers attract local pollinators.
Observe butterflies, insects and other wildlife in action such as this Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus).
Wildflowers attract local pollinators.
Follow the winding path through plantings of diverse native wildflowers and observe butterflies and other insects in action.
The Garden Path
Follow the winding path through plantings of diverse native wildflowers and observe butterflies and other insects in action. Each season brings new surprises.
Learn as You Stroll Download the iNaturalist app to your phone and create an account. Snap photos of the insects or plants you see and upload them. Use the app to browse through iNaturalist’s selections and make your best guess on what you have found. Then, wait for another user to verify or correct your ID. Get started today!
Life Cycles in Your Garden
Start or finish your tour with this display inside the Museum near the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit entrance. The display showcases four butterflies, the plants they use and how both change over the seasons.
Florida’s state wildflower is the Coreopsis, a great nectar source for butterflies. Thirteen Coreopsis species occur in Florida. Most have bright yellow, daisy-like flowers.
Florida is home to more than 180 species of butterflies and about 2,500 species of plants that are native, or naturally occurring.
The Zebra Longwing, Heliconius charitonius, is Florida’s state butterfly. The adult butterfly can live up to several months, much longer than many other species. Its caterpillars feast on the Purple Passionflower.
