Just a stone’s throw from Oviedo Mall, you’ll find a hidden natural wonderland filled with vibrant plants, exotic birds, and hundreds of butterflies.
Visitors can get an up-close look at the winged insects at Lucas Nursery’s Butterfly Encounter, a 4,000-square-foot space that houses one of Florida’s largest greenhouses of native butterflies. A popular attraction since 2004, this encounter has proven to be a timeless attraction for families, friends and couples alike.
Monarch butterflies, swallowtail butterflies, atala and white peacocks are just a few of the more than 20 species of butterflies that guests may see while immersing themselves in this encounter. The painted women are divided into rooms at a refueling station, where visitors can feed them.
“Our job is to bring people back to nature. Everyone is disconnected from nature,” said Edna Cain, manager of Lucas Nursery & Butterfly Encounter. “Some of the families say they had a lot of fun, so that makes it worth it.”
magic of nature
After passing through the air-conditioned gift shop and paying the $8.95 admission fee (children 3 and under are free), visitors emerge into a sunny, enclosed garden with a water feature and abundant plants to feed the butterflies.
There are signs explaining the role of butterfly breeders and host plants, but visitors are encouraged to look closely at the leaves to spot butterfly eggs and, in some cases, to see the insects mating. There are also plant labels, but the lack of signage allows guests to explore the environment using all five senses during the encounter.
This space does not allow visitors to touch the butterflies, except at a “refueling station” where a cup of nectar is provided to feed the painted woman. These “social butterflies” will even land on your fingers or nose if properly soothed.
“The woman in the painting is the most social butterfly among us. She perches on your finger, perches on you, and asks how your day was,” Kane said. “She’s very, very sweet, and the other butterflies don’t care about you.”
On one side of the encounter there is also a “caterpillar flight school” with various stages of the life cycle of pupae and butterflies.
Flocks of butterfly quail roam the grounds, feeding on insects and dead butterflies, while zebra finches perch high up. An hour is enough time for visitors to experience everything the grounds have to offer.
butterfly 101
Over millions of years, butterflies have coevolved with their host plant species, which continue to feed on them today. Host plants serve as places where butterflies lay their eggs and provide food for caterpillars to eat, while nectar plants feed adult butterflies. An ideal butterfly garden would have three nectar plants for each host.
Nectar plants that are great for Florida gardens include lantana, penta, salvia, porterweed, Mexican sunflower, gaura, and firebush. These plants and many more can be purchased during a trip to the nursery.
They are “solar-powered” insects that require a body temperature of at least 80 degrees Celsius to take flight, so their peak activity is seen on warm, sunny days from April to September.
Interesting fact: Butterflies “taste” with the soles of their feet to find a suitable place to lay eggs or find food. In the gas station room, painted women perch on people’s honeyed fingers and use their proboscises and tubular “tongues” to drink water.
past, present and future
The Lucas family’s roots in Central Florida date back to 1912, when Paul and Mary Lucas pioneered the area with their six children. The nursery started modestly in 1973, when a family sold eggs and ornamental plants in recycled coffee cans.
The fourth generation of the Lucases family, Caleb Lucas, Stanley Lucas II, and Cecilia Lucas Waldrop, currently operate the nursery and Butterfly Encounter, continuing the family farming practices that began more than a century ago.
As Seminole County prepares to widen Slavia Road, the nursery will undergo a multi-million dollar transformation of its own, including new and larger butterfly encounters and a learning center for field trips and classes.
Seeing is believing
Kane, who has helped establish butterfly encounters as a tourist attraction in Central Florida for the past 20 years, said people are sometimes drawn to the winged insects for spiritual reasons.
On a school field trip, a conker butterfly with missing wings landed on a child’s chest and stayed in multiple rooms. Through whispers from teachers and attendants, Kane learned that the girl’s mother had just died. Others have made similar visits to Kane.
“Butterflies are more than just insects. Butterflies are almost spiritual to people,” she said. “Some people say that their mothers, grandmothers, and fathers come to visit them as butterflies. For some people, it has a deep meaning.”
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If you go
Lucas Nursery’s Butterfly Encounter is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last admission 3:30 p.m.) at 1909 Slavia Road in Oviedo. Admission is $8.95 (children 3 and under are free). Butterflies for release are also available for purchase. The nursery is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. More information: lukasnursery.com
