Butterflies are more than just a pretty set of wings. The vital component to a healthy ecosystem—second to bees as the most important pollinators—we wouldn’t have flowers or many crops without them.
Nonprofit Butterfly Tampa opened the city’s self-proclaimed first bug zoo in 2024, and also runs a nature center and native butterfly botanical garden.
Founder Anita Camacho previously told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay her passion for pollinators and spreading environmental awareness locally began about 30 years ago when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Research into the disease led Camacho to learn about the long term effects of exposure to pesticides and chemicals…