The butterfly's food sources include cheese shrub, guava nectar and the torchwood tree, according to the Butterfly Conservation Initiative.

In a separate habitat restoration project in the area, officials are replacing invasive plant species with ones more typically found in hammock forests, said Dana Hartley, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.

Experts say pollinators such as butterflies are at risk throughout the United States.

Elsa Alvear, chief of natural resources at Biscayne National Park, said the reduced use of pesticides at home and in gardens, coupled with the introduction of native plants, will help their numbers.