Zoo Miami and the Connect to Protect Network Present:
Zoo Miami and the Connect to Protect Network Present:
The atala hairstreak is a rare butterfly species whose primary range includes the central and eastern portions of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Thought to be extinct a few times in the 1900s, it has recovered in part by utilizing urban gardens that connect populations to pine rockland fragments. Zoo Miami is partnering with the Connect to Protect Network to encourage the establishment of new stable atala populations across Miami-Dade County.
If your property meets the minimum requirements, you can receive atala chrysalises from Zoo Miami's Butterfly Bunker laboratory. Adjacent property owners are encouraged to join together. Requirements include at least 8 large coontie plants, at least 3 long-blooming nectar species, and and least 3 other nectar species. You also must have an insecticide-free yard and be a member of the Connect to Protect Network (membership is free; learn more)
This is a citizen science project. Citizens like you will provide important data to help guide future butterfly recovery efforts. Thank you!
Advisors & partners:
The University of Florida McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity
Mary Benton, Bound by Beauty
Sandy Koi, Florida International University
The Institute for Regional Conservation's Natives for your Neighborhood
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Wings of the Tropics
More Resources
*** FAQs from Atala adopters ***
We will loan you a pop-up cage but if you'd rather have your own, you can buy one from Amazon for $11.99
Bound by Beauty's Foster Butterfly Gardener Facebook group
Brown & Cooprider (2010) All about coontie (incl. maintenance)