A [Native Butterfly] Garden Grows
The Manatee Center's native butterfly garden is a volunteer-managed pollenator garden. We strive to bring native plants, but in some cases opt for Florida-friendly plants that are very good pollenator plants.
History of the Garden
The Manatee Center began the installation of a native butterfly garden at the Center along Moore's Creek in Spring 2017. To start, nine volunteer students drove from Plymouth State University during their Spring Break vacation to begin installation of the garden. With support from the City of Fort Pierce and donations from Home Depot, we transformed a grassy patch into the early stages of a mulched native butterfly garen.
Local contractor, Consolidated Construction Services, LLC, donated the design and installation of the ADA-accessible butterfly walkway, and Harbor Retirement Associates staff donated two beautiful garden benches in honor of Lynn Simmers. The benches were designed and constructed by renowned local mosaic artist Anita Prentice.
The garden serves as a local natural area to visit in Downtown Fort Pierce, as well as an outdoor educational area to learn about the benefits of plants and butterflies native to our region.
Thank you to the following groups and sponsors for supporting our Native Butterfly Garden so far:
For more information, or to help support this new endeavor, please contact MOEC' Manager, Rachel Tennant, at 772-429-8597 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.