Saving Butterflies and a Week's Worth of Farmers' Markets

Plus, Tampa police officer suspended, and you really should meet Arrow.

Oct 06, 2023

By week’s end it felt like we were starting to find our groove here at the Navigator. We can confidently say that we are now bringing you the best curated news summary in all of Hillsborough County. Stay tuned for further continual improvements. And please tell your friends.

A Black Swallowtail, courtesy of the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation.

BRIEFS

Hillsborough Schools Are No. 23: Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts ranked 12,192 school districts nationwide, according to Tampa Patch, and named the Sarasota County district the best among 70 Florida school districts, giving it a letter grade of A. Hillsborough County public school was ranked No. 23 and received a B+.

New Snook Regulations: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved new management regions and regulations for snook in state water at its October meeting. There are now nine snook management regions with specific open seasons and bag and slot limits. They are: Big Bend, Panhandle, Sarasota Bay, and Tampa Bay — open season: March–April, September–November; bag limit: one fish; slot limit: 28-33 inches. Charlotte Harbor, Southwest — open season: March–April, October–November; bag limit: one fish; slot limit: 28-33 inches. Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, Northeast — open season: February–May, September–Dec. 14; bag limit: one fish; slot limit: 28-32 inches. The regulations go into effect Jan. 1, 2024. To learn more about snook, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.

Stay Alert: The Tampa Police Department will be stepping up police presence in areas considered dangerous to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. It’s part of a Florida Depart of Transportation safety initiative. “Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow,” a campaign with some funding coming from the Institute for Police Technology and Management. Police will be more prevalent in areas with a history of serious injury and fatalities and include: West Hillsborough Avenue, East Busch Boulevard, North Nebraska Avenue, East Fowler Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, West Kennedy Boulevard, North Florida Avenue, and North and South Dale Mabry Highway.

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CURRENTS

6 Questions

Anita Camacho, CEO and founder of the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation.

Anita Camacho: Saving Butterflies

Anita Camacho is the CEO and founder of the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation, a local nonprofit committed to the health of butterflies. A CPA by trade, her favorite species is the zebra swallowtail, though she was hard-pressed to choose just one. Camacho is all about growing native habitats — without harmful pesticides and fertilizers — to attract butterflies. “If you won’t put it in your mouth or eat it, don’t use it, including soapy water,” she said about garden soil augmentation. You can learn more about butterflies and buy native plants at the Little Red Wagon Native Nursery, where you can also see caterpillars munching on their favorite foods, chrysalis hanging from plants, adult butterflies flitting around, and even encounter an amphibian or reptile or two.

What is the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation?

Our mission is to raise awareness with people on the plight of butterflies, not just monarch butterflies. We have 125 species in our area in Hillsborough County, and there are more than 200 species that migrate through. In the world, there are 20,000 species. There are many butterfly species we don’t pay much attention to besides the monarch, but we can attract them all with more native plants in our landscapes. We want to put more Florida back into Florida landscapes through restoration, conservation, and public education. We do conservation and restoration via community and school programs, parks and recreation, things like that. We’re trying to expand the awareness of butterflies.

How do you do that?

Reducing pesticides is our No. 1 priority. We don’t want anyone to use pesticides — which has benefits for all species, not just butterflies. We want to eliminate or significantly reduce the toxic chemicals in this world, but to do that, you have to have a hook. Our hook is butterflies. They’re beautiful, nonthreatening, and everyone likes butterflies.

Why do butterflies matter?

They are pollinators. They may not be the great pollinators that wild bees and honeybees are, but they are important nonetheless, and they feed on flowers. Butterflies are somewhat of a bellwether species indicator of the overall health and wellness of an ecosystem. An absence of them says there is something wrong with an ecosystem. They can be affected by lack of rain or drought that results in no plants for them to feed on.

What’s the best way to attract them?

Native plants. While some exotic species may attract butterflies, the best thing is what's native and what’s indigenous to our soil. We have sandy soil and sandy root systems here, so the native species are used to sandy soil and are more robust. You don’t have to amend the soil; these natives just need water to establish themselves. Native plants that establish themselves, rather than ones that propagate after being dropped from birds or whatever, do better than planted species. A lot of plants from other countries and states are invasive to our ecosystem. What you plant depends on what you are trying to attract. Butterflies feed on nectar. Butterflies with big proboscis like tubular flowers. Others with small proboscis need a landing pad and like larger flowers like black-eye Susans. Diversity and having many different flowers is ideal, with staggered growing seasons. A lot of diversity and color attracts butterflies. Native plants have better nectar than non-natives.

Are butterflies hard to identify?

Some are. If they are flying, yeah. But you learn about them. Some people confuse moths and butterflies. They are very similar, just one is a daytime flier, and one is a nocturnal flier. Both are good pollinators. Butterflies and months provide a great food source to wildlife, significantly for birds and especially baby birds, which can’t eat hard food. An oak tree is a keystone plant that can provide food for 4,000 to 5,000 animal species, including 90 or more moths and butterfly species. They are really good places for birds to have nests, so the parents don’t have to go too far to get to food.

Why are you involved?

I always enjoyed nature and was outdoors on horses and in gardens and in nature in other ways. I planted something as a kid, some kind of flower. I just got a flower and planted it and hoped the butterflies would show up and like my flowers. I always enjoyed growing flowers, and then gained some real knowledge about what I was doing. Then my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and I didn’t understand that the disease is strongly linked to pesticide exposure. So I stopped using chemicals around the house and did anything I could to eliminate or reduce chemicals. I started paying attention to what was going on in gardens, and I thought about what I could do, and I started asking questions, instead of assuming the people at Home Depot and Lowe's know. I thought about what we’re doing to ourselves and our planet, which is our only home. We are terrorizing the planet, and we think we are so smart. We show such indifference to some species. We decide this animal should live; this one should die. Wasps are very important, even though they have stingers. They are pollinators and protect plants. But we kill first and don’t ask questions. The wasp is here because nature has a reason for it.

THE LIST

Each week, we’ll bring you a new one. Got any ideas? Reach out.

Seven Days of Farmers Markets

There are so many options for fresh produce around the Tampa Bay Area. Here’s a list of farmers markets to consider, depending on the day of the week and time of the month you’re in the mood to shop.

SUNDAY

Hyde Park Fresh Market: 1st Sun, 10-3 Oct-May, 10-2 June-Sept, year round, 1602 W. Snow Circle, Tampa.

Seminole Heights Sunday Morning Market: 2nd Sun, 10-2, year round, Hillsborough High School, 5000 N Central Ave, Tampa.

The Market at Water Street Tampa: 3rd Sun, 11-3 Oct-May, 10-2 June-Sept, year round, 971 Water St.

The Sunday Morning Market at Westshore Marina District: 4th Sun, 11-3 Oct-May, 10-2 June-Sept, Westshore Marina District, South Tampa.

Sunshine Market at Midtown Tampa: 4th Sun, 10-2, 3650 Midtown Drive, Midtown.

MONDAY

Tampa Bay Farmers Market: Mon-Sat, 8-6, 10001 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa.

TUESDAY

Boyette Family Farms in Wesley Chapel: Tue-Fri, 9-6, Sat 10-4, 6715 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday Night Exchange at Westshore Marina District: 1st Wed, 6-10, 4900 Bridge St., Tampa.

THURSDAY

Sunset Market Midtown: 1st Thu, 6-10, year round, 3650 Midtown Drive, Tampa.

FRIDAY

Keystone Farmers Market in Odessa: Open daily, 8-7, 12615 Tarpon Springs Road, Odessa.

SATURDAY

Ybor City Saturday Market: Every Sat, 9-3, 1901 N. 19th St., Tampa.

First Market at Wiregrass: 1st and 3rd Sat, 10-2, year round, Paseo Drive at the Shops at Wiregrass, Wesley Chapel.

Carrollwood Market: 2nd Sat, 10-2, year round, behind Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa.

YOU NEED A PET

Arrow is available for adoption at Maxx & Me Pet Rescue — Meet Arrow at Maxx & Me Pet Rescue.

Say hello to Arrow. He’s dog friendly — but definitely prefers low-key furry friends as opposed to rambunctious pups. He wants a yard to enjoy and LOVES kids. His bestie is his foster bro — they do homework together, read, and have started a branch of neighborhood watch where they take turns being President. Arrow is approx 7-8 months, he’s got the most GORGEOUS brindle, long haired coat. He’s around 30-35#. He’s even potty trained! Basically, we proudly introduce you to a VERY GOOD BOI: ARROW!

Maxx & Me Pet Rescue, 12191 W. Linebaugh Ave., #554, Tampa, MaxxAndMeRescue@gmail.com

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