I visited Butterfly Farms in Encinitas in first week of July, a small set up nestled in the city. It is located in a calm neighborhood. Garden is setup mainly for education and research purpose of native butterflies. So don’t expect it to offer butterfly jungle as in San Diego Zoo. It is open for public , with donation of 5$ per adult to get access to butterfly enclosure.
As soon as I enter, I was in native butterfly world, Many are flying, some are soaking in sun on ground (be watchful) and some are real busy feasting on nectar rich plants like Buddleja. In this small enclosure there are variety of host and nectar rich plants for these native butterflies. Below are some pictures of my visit.
Garden specifically sell plants to support their mission , to name a few e.g. milkweed, butterfly weed, Lantana, mexican sunflower, verbena and pentas. I believe, all purchases go toward supporting these butterflies. So pick a milkweed !
My only suggestion to butterfly farm , would be to add plant’s names and their usage in butterfly life cycle, which will make it as a self educational tour for visitors. I didn’t had trouble as I am a actively learning gardener But, for now visitors with less gardening knowledge can ask for help to answer their questions.
It’s a delightful experience to observe and photograph butterfly in a hot summer day with flute soothing music in background! .
For more information about their mission visit their Website and visitors can check their timing and reviews yelp
