Friends of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve Inc.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Parkprotects the largest remaining tract of the unique Florida dry prairie ecosystem, one of the biologically richest grasslands in the world. Its 54,000 acres contain a mosaic of dry prairie, wet prairie, marshes, sloughs, cabbage palm and oak hammocks, flood plain—no less than 14 distinct natural communities —which support a vast and diverse array of flora and fauna, including a number of endangered or threatened species. It is one of the last places to find the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, "perhaps the most endangered bird in the continental United States." This is the land made famous by author Patrick Smith in A Land Remembered.

Join Us — Membership Application

Friends of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, Inc. was formed in 2011 to work for the preservation, protection, interpretation and promotion of and in the best interest of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. The Friends is a Florida not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and relies on membership fees and private donations to pursue activities on behalf of the Preserve.

Above: Little Metalmark on a leaf of its host plant Purple Thistle (Cirsium horridulum)

Butterfly expert Linda Cooper will lead Spring Butterfly Walks at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve on March 28th, 2026.

Kissimmee Prairie has more butterfly diversity than any other Florida state park, and more than half of the breeding butterfly species in Florida are documented within the Preserve. You may expect to see and learn about many of Kissimmee Prairie's butterflies. You may also see eggs, caterpillars and chrysalids. Don't miss this amazing prairie butterfly experience!

Linda Cooper and her late husband, Buck, put KPPSP on the map for its butterflies. Linda continues to survey, compile official counts for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), and monitor butterfly populations on large public lands in Florida. She is also an effective advocate for their protection.

For more information and to register, click HERE!