The North American Butterfly Association added a new butterfly to the count for Kissimmee Prairie Preserve on July 4: Gray Ministreak.

Volunteer Linda Cooper has been counting butterflies on the prairie for 29 years – before Kissimmee Prairie was a state park.

The original count was on the part of the park that was previously an Audubon property, she explained. “My late husband and I took over the count the third year, and I have continued them since his death in 2016. After all these years, we added a new tropical species to the count.”

Over the past 31 years, 81 butterfly species have been documented at the park. How many can be seen on a given day varies. Some of the butterflies are there seasonally.

An average day count  is 49 species, she explained. On July 4, they counted 471 butterflies, including 45 different species.

“Butterfly numbers fluctuate greatly depending on what’s blooming,” she said. Weather also plays a big role. Butterflies lay their eggs on plants which provide food for the caterpillars when they hatch. During periods of drought, butterfly eggs may dry out. Periods of heavy rainfall could leave the butterfly eggs underwater. Exotic invasive vegetation can choke out that native plants that butterflies need for nectar or caterpillars need for food.

“There are probably a lot of things we don’t know about that affect the butterflies,” Cooper said.

Cooper said they do not encourage people to try to raise butterflies to release. “Nature tends to balance things out if we don’t interfere too much,” she said.

Two things you can do to help native butterflies thrive:

• Don’t spray pesticides in your yard. “Stop spraying everything!”
• Plant native or Florida-friendly vegetation. Plants such as button bush, bottlebrush, red honeysuckle and Partridge Peas are popular with butterflies.

Cooper conducts butterfly walks and plant walks at the state park. She said the fall is particularly beautiful when many native plants are in bloom. She encourages the public to “get out and see what a lot of Okeechobee County looked like in the not-too-distant past.”

Want help identifying a butterfly? Check out the North America Butterfly Association website at naba.org.

There are also several Facebook Groups for Florida butterfly enthusiasts. The county extension office can also recommend native plants that provide nectar for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. The website www.flgardening.com has a section of butterfly gardens.