TURTLE HOUSE AT ELVIRA’S ROOST, MT OLIVE SHORES, POLK CITY, FLORIDA

January 5, 2022

Temperature 73 Degrees

Rotary Butterfly Garden

Sometimes in our travels here and there, to a doctor’s appointment or to the market, we see things that we make a mental note of for later exploration.

Such is the park we visited this past Sunday in Auburndale which is a town located close to our home. The town was first founded by Frank Fuller and originally called Sanatoria for a hotel by that name located in town. When the railroad came to town, the town renamed itself Auburndale after a town of the same name in Massachusetts.

In one corner of the town park is the restored historic train depot that is now a municipal building.

As with many Florida towns, it was the railroad that played a major role in the development and growth of Auburndale.

This 1961 ad clearly illustrates Auburndale’s role as a key link in the Seaboard Line’s route through central Florida. Though Amtrak still passes through the town it no longer stops here.

Moving to the other end of the park, we entered

the Rotary Butterfly Garden.

Through some research on the internet we learned that: the garden has been made possible through donations by the Rotary Club of Auburndale and funding from the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The garden features over 30 different types of plants that are Florida-Friendly (native and non-native, drought-resistant plants). The plant selection has been designed to attract a wide range of Central Florida butterfly species to feed on the nectar of our flowering plants. There are also several species of flora that serve as host plants to particular butterflies. For example, Milkweed is the exclusive breeding ground for the popular Monarch Butterfly. Similarly, the Florida State Butterfly, the Zebra Longwing, uses Passion Flower to lays its eggs.

It was a picture perfect day when we visited and we spent a delightful hour walking the various pathways in the park.

So that is where we are at on The Road of Retirement. Hope you had a great day.

Thanks again for stopping by today  We always appreciate your company, and your comments and suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.