Key West Beautification Project Comes Home to Roost

The Key West Post Office has received a $50,000 special delivery from the Trophia Butterfly Foundation. The chicken-scratched gravel in front of the facility has been replaced with a garden of palm trees, stone seats, and flowering plants.


The foundation has donated and installed butterfly gardens, trees, and plants at several Key West locations, including the Monroe County Public Library and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The postal beautification project marks the foundation's biggest and most expensive undertaking, as low stone walls and raised planters were used to minimize damage from the neighborhood's resident chickens that frequently scratch at the roots and damage garden plants. Foundation leaders proudly report that no chickens were disturbed by the project.


The foundation is responsible for the maintenance which saves the USPS a small fortune. Prior to the landscaping, USPS paid $2,500 a year to maintain the existing palm trees. And though native plants require less-frequent watering, the large cistern underneath the Post Office collects rain water used for irrigation.


“This renovation will attract visitors to our Post Office which should increase stamps sales, as well as make us a good neighbor in the community,” said Postmaster Jane Evans.