Butterflies of Big Bend Wildlife Management Area

Areas with high habitat diversity contain the largest number of species. It should come as no surprise, then, that the mix of well-managed habitats at Big Bend Wildlife Management Area harbors 100 butterfly species. Lepidopterists, or those who study butterflies and moths, consider this area to have the most concentrated butterfly diversity in the state of Florida.

What makes Big Bend so attractive to butterflies? The answer is that several habitat types abut one another here and are carefully-managed to maximize their attractiveness to wildlife. Site biologists use prescribed fire, roller-chopping and mowing to maintain open conditions that allow wildflowers and, in turn, pollinators like butterflies to thrive.