A Special Invitation
Butterfly Friends! Feel free to share this with friends and neighbors...
Date: WEDNESDAY JULY 23, 2025
Time: 10 AM
Location: Lady Lake Seventh-day Aventist Church, 231 Lake Griffin Road, Lady Lake, Florida, 32159
Directions from Coconut Grove Recreation Center to the church
You are invited to join a CELEBRATION of the now nationally acclaimed Fred Funk Butterfly Garden. The garden received national recognition by the North American Butterfly Association when selected as the winner in the public garden category of the inaugural Lana Edwards Garden of the Year contest!
The Fred Funk Butterfly Garden was established in 2014 by The Villages Butterfly Garden Club. The garden is named after Fred Funk who founded the Club. Fred laid out the garden beds, selected plants and established the original garden. Fred owned and operated a nursery and garden center in Pennsylvania for 48 years before retiring to The Villages.
A true demonstration garden, the 11,000 plus square feet of groomed flower beds attract and support central Florida butterflies, in furtherance of our goal of butterfly education. Detailed signs provide information about the nectar and host plants in the garden. There are benches scattered throughout the garden, a covered picnic area shaded by massive Live Oak trees, where visitors can relax and watch butterflies on warm sunny days.
From the beginning, our goal has been to support the declining Monarch population. Last December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended that they be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Fred Funk Garden contains several species of milkweed plants, their host plant, and what the caterpillars eat.
Dedicated volunteers tend the garden. We rely strictly on donations to purchase plants, buy mulch, tools, irrigation lines, toner/paper to print signs. We have real expenses unlike most clubs. Our DREAM LIST is attached.
We will have children’s activities, face painting, and crafts.
‘BUTTERFLY FEST’ is set for WEDNESDAY JULY 23, 2025 at the Fred Funk Butterfly Garden located on the grounds of the 7th Day Adventist Church, 231 Lake Griffin Road, Lady Lake. Vendor set up will be 8-10 am, music, food trucks, garden viewing, silent auction drawing, speakers/presenters inside.
Invitees are welcomed to set up a table and sell items from their business and/or to promote their club. We’ll have tables available both inside the church and outside in the garden. Nurseries and Landscapers, please consider making a donation of plants, for our plant sale, potting soil, (we will pick up) garden-related items, or butterfly décor. We are having a SILENT AUCTION would love gift cards or other items which do not need to be garden related.
Sponsor’s /Donors
- $50-$100 – CATERPILLAR LEVEL – mentioned in program
-$100-$250 – MILKWEED LEVEL - mentioned in program, receives a color copy of NABA magazine article
- $250 up – MONARCH LEVEL – mentioned in program, receives a color copy of NABA magazine article, a banner in the garden with your name/logo
We are a recognized nonprofit, your donations are tax deductible.
Please contact Alycyn Culbertson at or alycynculbertson@msn.com with questions or for additional information. For monetary donations please write checks payable to: THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN CLUB, mail to Attn: Jacque Funk, 5930 Rebusmen Rd, The Villages, FL 32163
Click link to donate now. We have the ability to receive funds via Zelle also.
https://swipesimple.com/links/lnk_0fc1b3c52954ac080eb9b597ba71a3b2
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Please complete if you plan to attend and want to have a booth or table:
Contact Name/Phone: __________________________________
Business Name/Organization: __________________________________
We have plenty of outdoor space available and places for tables indoors. What type of set up or display are you planning?
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This information can be emailed to alycynculbertson@msn.com. PLEASE put BUTTERFLY FEST ON the subject line
Even before January 2015, The Villages Butterfly Club and the Lady Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church began planning a butterfly garden on over a half acre of the church's property. The project is still in progress. Fred Funk designed the garden, propagated many of the plants and worked almost daily on the garden. He was/is, the man with the vision and a heart for butterflies and flowers according to Judy Smith.
PS A favorite expression of Fred's that has often been included in our newsletter is: "Butterflies. You can't touch them, but they will touch your heart."
Directions to the Butterfly Garden: Take Route 466 East, cross 441/27 to Lemon St, go one block to the stop sign and take a left turn. The Seventh Day Adventist Church is on the right hand side, 1/4 mile from the stop sign.
Here are two videos by Al and Joan. Al takes the pictures and Joan does the hard work of editing. The first video was taken after the planting but before the butterflies came.
The second video is a tour of the garden in bloom with butterflies in all stages of development. The garden is open to the public and is located on Lake Griffin Road at the Lady Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Many of the plants are labeled. They are almost all Florida Friendly with many natives in bloom.
June 19, 2018
August 13, 2017 Video
July 17, 2015 Video
May 27, 2015 Video
