Butterfly garden blooms in Lakewood Ranch

Country Club’s Michael Modisett is patiently waiting. 

He planted more than 90 native Florida plants in three areas in front of his home to attract butterflies.

It excites Modisett to think he can help the environment and butterflies through the plantings. He looks forward to going into his yard in the mornings, reading a book and watching the butterflies.

Modisett’s passion for gardening and his desire to create a butterfly garden stemmed from the Lakewood Ranch Garden Club’s presentation of Homeowners’ Guide to Butterfly Gardening last year. 

The club will host another Homeowners’ Guide to Butterfly Gardening from 9:30-11 a.m. Feb. 8 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. 

Modisett, a novice gardener, learned during the presentation that monarch butterflies migrate through Florida but the construction of homes has become a deterrent. It inspired him to become part of the effort to create a pathway for butterflies to go as they migrate to the Caribbean or Mexico. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

Modisett said he loves the monarch butterfly for its size and beauty. He would take advantage of any chance he had to see them in a butterfly habitat when visiting the Florida Keys. 

Walking away from the presentation, Modisett was eager to start his own butterfly garden. He spoke to Lakewood Ranch Garden Club members to learn more. 

Although Lakewood Ranch Garden Club members recommend starting small, Modisett went all in. 

His wife, Pamela Modisett, designed the garden areas. The first runs along the side of his driveway and experiences the most sunlight. The second sits in front of his home between his curved driveway and the street and experiences partial sunlight and partial shade. The third rests in front of his porch, and it has the most shade. 

Modisett said creating his butterfly gardens has been a learning process and having the areas experience different levels of sunlight will help him determine what type of environment is best.

He went to nurseries, such as Sweet Bay Nursery, to determine which native Florida plants are best to attract butterflies and how to best care for them. He said native plants are easy to work with as they already are accustomed to the environment. 

“(Native plants) look beautiful and they bring back the natural beauty of Florida,” Modisett said. 

When choosing plants, Modisett said the gardens should have plants that provide nectar to feed the butterflies as well as plants that can serve as hosts for the butterflies to lay their eggs. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

The garden also must have a source of water as well as shelter such as trees or bushes, he said. 

Between the three areas, Modisett said he has at least 20 types of plants. 

“When I see butterflies, bees, those kinds of things, it tells me the environment is healthy, that the air and soil are good,” he said. “They’re getting what they need.”

Modisett hopes he can have his garden certified as a monarch butterfly sanctuary.

When the butterflies migrate in the spring, Modisett will be able to determine if his hard work has paid off. He hopes to not only see monarchs but all types of butterflies. 

“Wouldn’t it be neat to come out in the morning, sit down and see 10, 20 butterflies?” he said. 

He has a pamphlet with photos of more than a dozen Florida butterflies. His hope is to take a photo of each butterfly he sees, try to match it to the photos in the pamphlet and verify that the butterfly in his garden is what he suspected.