I'll be honest with you.
When the idea for Plant Bingo first came to me, I had one small problem.
I couldn't find plant bingo cards anywhere.
Not on Etsy. Not on Pinterest. Not anywhere. So I did what any reasonable person running a butterfly farm would do — I made them myself. Late one night, glass of wine in hand (maybe two), figuring out how to build a bingo card from scratch using plants we actually sell, plants people actually love, plants worth knowing by name.
How do you make sure no two cards are identical? Great question. I'll just say it involved a lot of staring at a screen, some creative problem solving, and the kind of determination that only shows up after midnight.
But they worked. And honestly? They were great.
The night of our first Plant Bingo, I wasn't sure what to expect.
People had been telling me for weeks that they wanted to come but were nervous. "I don't know anything about plants," they'd say. "I'll embarrass myself."
And every time I told them the same thing: it doesn't matter. You don't need to know a thing. The whole point is that by the end of the night, you will.
They showed up anyway. Couples, families, groups of girlfriends. One woman came completely alone — she'd been going through something hard and just needed a night out, a place to breathe, somewhere that felt safe and a little magical.
And then there was the group from Atlanta. A mom and her two daughters, dressed like they were headed somewhere fancy. Full outfits. Hair done. And I remember thinking — they came to a butterfly farm? But then one of them explained it perfectly. "We wanted to get dressed up," she said, "but feel comfortable. Safe. Like we were with friends."
That stopped me in my tracks. Because that's exactly what this place is supposed to be.
And then — if the story couldn't get any better — one of those daughters won the grand prize. A banana tree. She was absolutely over the moon. The kind of excited that makes the whole room laugh and clap and feel like they just witnessed something.
That's connection. We sat strangers together that night. Put people at tables with folks they'd never met, which made some of them nervous at first. You could see it on their faces — the polite smiles, the careful small talk.
By round three, they were sharing snacks, swapping gardening stories, and cheering each other on. By the end of the night, they were exchanging numbers.
We also learned a few things the hard way.
Six rounds of bingo sounds like a great idea until you realize nobody has time to breathe, drink their wine, or visit the bathroom. We scaled back to five rounds the next time and the whole night breathed better. Lesson learned.
And the bingo cards — my beautiful handmade bingo cards that I was so proud of? Turns out when everyone gets two cards and there aren't enough varieties, you end up with duplicate winners every round. Whoops.
So now the cards are numbered. Tracked. Distributed carefully. No duplicates. We figured it out the fun way.
Our second Plant Bingo night brought in a group from the local Master Gardeners Club — a whole table of people who actually know their plants. Watching them play was its own kind of entertainment. And the gouda grilled cheese with strawberry jam we served that night? I'm just going to say — people are still talking about it.
🦋 Farm Confession
We planned six rounds of bingo. We also didn't plan for human beings who need water, wine, and occasionally a bathroom break. Five rounds it is. We're learning as we go — and apparently, so are the bingo cards.
Plant Bingo nights are some of my favorite evenings on this farm. Strangers becoming friends, people discovering plants they didn't know they needed, and someone always going home with something they didn't expect — a new plant, a new friend, or just a really good night they didn't know they needed.
If you want to be part of one, we have dates coming up this summer:
🌿 July 16 • July 25 • August 8 • August 20 ⏰ Starts at 6pm 🎟 $25 per person — includes 2 bingo cards 👉 Reserve your spot: square.link/u/yIUGX4ld
Flutter Post readers get a little extra magic 🦋 Mention The Flutter Post when you arrive and we'll send you home with a free succulent — our thank you for being part of this community. Come not knowing anyone. Leave not wanting to go.
With fluttering wings, The Butterfly Boss 🦋"