Butterfly garden memorializes victims of 2004 tsunami

September 2, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Corry Village Tsunami Butterfly Garden is complete and attracting many butterflies as well as helping to ease the grief of residents.

Residents of Corry Village at the University of Florida initiated the memory garden following the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. Many residents were directly affected by the disaster through the loss of family members and friends. They were seeking tangible ways to express their grief.

“The butterfly garden at Corry is a place for remembrance of victims, friends, and loved ones who died and suffered during the tsunami disaster and its aftermath,” said Carolina Gomez, a member of the Corry Village programming staff. “It is a beautiful garden and a very special place in the heart of Corry Village.”

UF Physical Plant staff supported the project by assisting with the garden design, choosing appropriate plants to attract butterflies and planting the garden.

Corry Village residents are responsible for weeding the garden and ongoing general upkeep of the area. The garden was funded by the Department of Housing and Residence Education; UF Physical Plant donated the plants and labor. A commemorative plaque is on display. The garden is near the Corry Village Commons near the center of the residential complex.

Relief efforts for the tsunami as well as other international natural disasters are ongoing. The international private sector fund-raising campaign for tsunami relief led by former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton continues to be successful. Other relief efforts including those for Hurricane Katrina are linked from the USA Freedom Corps web site: http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/ .