On a steamy morning, residents and city officials gathered for the ribbon-cutting of the Leesburg Pollinator Garden and a butterfly release ceremony on June 25 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St.
A project of the Leesburg in Bloom Committee, the pollinator garden features 70 plants, most of them native to Florida, that is meant to attract butterflies, birds and the bees living in a new beehive on the second floor of the library. The garden is home to helmet skullcap, butterfly milkweed, firecracker plants, purple coneflower and golden Alexander, as well as the butterflies released during the ceremony.
Before the ceremony started, Carolyn Neville, a volunteer with the Leesburg Public Library bookstore, gently handed attendees live butterflies that were safely enclosed in paper for the release.
Neville, of Leesburg, said she was excited to participate in the event and said it was a wonderful sight to see all of the children who attended the event with their families.
“I also help with the kids programs at the library and, as a retired teacher, I’m very excited to have the kids be involved with the library,” she said. “Anything we can do to encourage them to get back to reading.”
The brief ribbon-cutting ceremony began with Dusty Matthews, the library’s director, quote the phrase philanthropist Andrew Carnegie used to describe the 2,500 public libraries he funded, “palaces for the people.”
Matthews said the garden inspires opportunity for education and community as a pollination habitat in the pocket of Downtown Leesburg.
After thanking Leesburg Commissioner Alan Reisman for his dedication in leading the charge to create the garden, Matthews then introduced the ceremony speakers, starting with Sandi Moore, president of the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
Moore thanked Reisman for his efforts, saying the garden is an example of moments of service that makes the community a safe space.
“It was always the intention for this space to be a butterfly garden, so for us to bring it back to like it was is amazing,” Moore said. “Alan saw the potential of what the community could be and many of the flowers you see are also because of his personal commitment to making Leesburg beautiful.”
Reisman thanked the Leesburg Public Works team for its assistance in breathing life into the beautification project.
“I encourage you to come down, spend time in the garden,” Reisman said. “It’s amazing to see what happens when you slow down and take it all in.”
At the count of three, Reisman signaled participants to release their butterflies, which were provided by Clearwater Butterfly in Chuluota.
Afterwards, attendees explored the garden, taking photographs of butterflies landing on flowers, and looked at the soon-to-be-occupied beehives on the second floor of the library while representatives from Mitchem Bee Company passed out honey.
The bees that will take up residence in the hives will be provided by Bee Fussy Apiary and maintained by Mitchem Bee Company. Beekeeper Jake Mitchem explained that, although the honeybees are capable of traveling up to 6 miles, they typically only travel 1 to 3 miles to feed — making the downstairs garden a convenient buffet for them. Mitchem said the company will periodically check on the beehives and harvest honey as needed.
“I was born in Leesburg and my parents were born in Leesburg, so I’m honored to be here today to put a small impact on Leesburg history,” he said.
Pointing to the statue of local educator Alice Reeves reading to her great-granddaughter at the front entrance of the library, Leesburg Mayor Allyson Berry said she was pleased to see the beauty of the community emphasized throughout the library, adding she was proud to see Reisman’s work come to fruition.
“He put his heart and his finances into this project and I think it’s amazing,” she said. “It was great to see the participation and interest of the community at the event.”
For more information about the Leesburg in Bloom Committee and its programs, visit leesburgflorida.gov/residents/bloom.php or follow Leesburg in Bloom on Facebook.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
