Miller outlined the Smart Rain Garden project’s scope, funded by the National Science Foundation grant, detailing the project’s partners, subject matter experts, and the community-driven approach. Beels and Bailey discussed developing a pollinator monitoring program, highlighting the potential for community members to participate. Sermont offered insight into the Aquatic Preserves office’s work and its impact on the Indian River Lagoon, advocating for lagoon-friendly landscaping practices to preserve the lagoon’s ecosystem.

The meeting transitioned to an in-depth presentation on butterflies, stressing their importance as environmental indicators. The speaker, an estuarine ecologist, shared knowledge on butterfly identification, including the eight major groups found in the region. The significance of understanding butterfly life cycles and morpho groups for monitoring purposes was emphasized, with detailed descriptions of specific species provided to aid in identification. Questions from the audience about butterfly characteristics were also addressed.

Further discussions highlighted the ecological significance of creating habitats for pollinators, with success stories shared, such as increased butterfly activity in a rain garden. The reintroduction of the endangered atala butterfly was noted, with the planting of Coontie plants in various landscaping projects, including a Publix parking lot in Fort Pierce, being a key factor in their thriving populations. The plight of other endangered species, such as the Eastern pygmy blue and the Miami blue, was discussed in the context of habitat loss due to coastal development.

The conversation also expanded to cover bees, stressing the diversity of native bee species in Florida and the importance of differentiating them from honeybees. A comprehensive overview of bee families and species provided attendees with the knowledge to aid in bee monitoring and conservation efforts. The speaker illustrated different bee characteristics and nesting habits, while a flowchart was introduced to help with bee identification during field observations.

The meeting concluded with a practical activity, where attendees were encouraged to document all wildlife seen at the Veterans Memorial Park Smart Rain Garden site, not just pollinators, to collect comprehensive qualitative data. Participants were also instructed on the use of survey kits and the importance of scheduling survey times based on weather conditions. The educational aspect of the survey was highlighted, intending to promote the benefits of Florida-friendly and Lagoon-friendly landscaping through the findings.