For more than two decades, visitors to Oviedo’s Lukas Nursery have stepped into a warm, glassy oasis and walked out with that slightly dazed grin you get when a butterfly decides you are the most interesting thing in the room. The Butterfly Encounter, which opened in 2004, has grown into a local staple, with dozens of native species drifting among flowering plants and a small aviary. Now the fourth-generation, family-run nursery is gearing up for a multimillion-dollar rebuild, moving the attraction into a larger, climate-controlled home as county roadwork reshapes Slavia Road.
The current enclosure is roughly 4,000 square feet. The Butterfly Encounter runs daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last admission at 3:30 p.m.), and general admission is $8.95, with children 3 and under admitted free. The nursery also sells butterflies for ceremonial release and hosts field trips and birthday parties. Those visitor details, along with the Encounter’s size and schedule, are listed on the Lukas Nursery website.
Edna Kane, who manages the Encounter, told the Orlando Sentinel that “the painted lady is our most social butterfly,” explaining that smaller species will often land on visitors and even “ask you how your day was.” Kane said the exhibit’s purpose is to reconnect people with nature and to give school groups hands-on lessons about pollinators.
New Building and Timeline
The Lukas family plans a purpose-built, fully enclosed Butterfly Encounter of about 9,822 square feet, paired with a 2,800-square-foot Learning Center and a small coffee shop to better serve visitors and school groups. The phased redevelopment is estimated at roughly $5-6 million and includes upgraded climate control to make visits more comfortable in heat or rain. Those project specifics and the family’s timeline come from reporting that interviewed the Lukas family about the plans, as reported by Oviedo Community News…