Harry P. Leu Gardens

Great birding and butterfly-watching awaits you at this urban Orlando oasis. Leu Gardens has ample forested areas, with large live oaks and other native canopy trees, plus well-established mid- and understory layers which provide food and shelter for wildlife. Spring and fall produce many species of songbirds, including Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush and Eastern Wood-Pewee. Three miles of paved walkways and roads allow you to bird within the many demonstration gardens. Numerous benches and several rain shelters are provided throughout. Painted Bunting, Eastern Screech-Owl, Chuck-will’s-widow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pileated Woodpecker, and Red-tailed Hawk are all possible. Don’t miss the observation deck and gazebo on Lake Rowena, where you may spot Anhinga, Green Heron, Wood Stork, the occasional Limpkin and wintering ducks including Hooded Merganser and Ring-necked Duck. The butterfly garden features a large assortment of native plants that attract Giant and Polydamas Swallowtails, Sleepy Orange, Orange-barred Sulphur and Monarch. Educational programs are offered throughout the year. Orange Audubon Society holds its monthly meetings at the Garden House facility.