This summer was a very successful season for the Mosquito Lagoon Oyster Reef Restoration Project, a partnership between Brevard Zoo and University of Central Florida. 

On Friday, July 27, Brevard Zoo joined UCF, along with a group of volunteers from the U.S. Navy, to conduct quality control and inspection of each of the eight oyster reefs that were restored this year. The team visited each oyster reef and checked every oyster mat to ensure proper installation into the Mosquito Lagoon. The day also included the placement of more than 100 oyster mats on reefs that needed just a few finishing touches. At the end of the day, all of the oyster reefs were in tip-top shape and ready to provide life-saving habitat to oyster larvae and many other species in the lagoon! 

We are proud to announce the Summer 2012 oyster mat deployment season ended with record-breaking numbers, a total of 5,878 oyster mats were deployed to create eight restored oyster reefs! The largest oyster reef created this year is made up of 1,617 oyster mats. The oyster reef built and named by Brevard Zoo, "Oscar Reef", is made up of 509 oyster mats.

All of this success could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers who contributed to this important restoration project in the Mosquito Lagoon.

Brevard Zoo is now home to a growing population of Atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala), one of Florida's most colorful insects! 

Large scale harvesting of native cycads, called coontie, for starch during the late 1800's greatly reduced the number of coontie, resulting in a sharp decline of the Atala butterfly.  Development of habitat favored by the Atala also had a huge impact, and by 1965 there was only one colony left. The Atala has made a recovery but additional efforts are needed to stabilize the population.

The Zoo has agreed to provide a safe home for the captive propagation of the Atala butterfly in order to provide specimens for a reintroduction program.

Take a look at these photos of the Zoo’s growing Atala collection:

Freshly laid Atala eggs on the fiddlehead of a coontie plant.

Larvae preparing to pupate.

Pupae or chrysalis.

Adult nectaring.

Adult female taking a break from ovipositing (laying eggs).

Zoo staff will release several adult Atala into the aviary, located in the Zoo’s Australia-Asia loop, on Wednesday, June 20. On your next visit to the Zoo, be sure to stop by for a chance to see these brightly colored insects up close!

Join us in June for the Zoo's annual conservation series, where we invite conservation and research experts to share their experiences from the field, each Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Nyami Nyami River Lodge.

June 6: “The Florida Manatee: A Native American.”
Ann Spellman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

June 13: "The Bottlenose Dolphins of Sarasota Bay - Lessons Learned from 4 Decades and 5 Generations."
Dr. Randall Wells, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program

June 20: "Marine Turtles and Other Wildlife of the Archie Carr NWR: Their History and Future."
Dr. L. M. Ehrhart, University of Central Florida Marine Turtle Research Group

June 27: “Coral Replanting: Hope for Florida’s Coral Reefs”
Ken Nedimyer, Coral Restoration Foundation

Sponsored by:

CLICK HERE for more information.