TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – ENCORE! Tampa broke ground on a half-acre butterfly garden in the heart of downtown Tampa on Monday.

ENCORE! Tampa is a mixed-use, multi-family community. The community partnered with the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation to create the garden.

A team of volunteers, along with the founder of the foundation, planted 300 native plants at ENCORE!’s Technology Park.

The garden will continue to fulfill the practice of building using sustainable practices, as the plants require less water and irrigation.

The plants for the project came from the Little Red Wagon Native Nursey in South Tampa, owned by Anita Camacho, who is the founder of the Buttery Conservatory of South Tampa and the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation.

Technology Park also houses solar panels, providing energy for outdoor lights in the community.

ENCORE! currently has four multi-family buildings. Three additional buildings are under construction.