Wedding Release Butterflies rearing at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm
Toll-free 877-485-2458
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm
Touring the Farm Through Photos
How are Release Butterflies raised at a butterfly farm?Click on any photo to enlarge.
Welcome to Shady Oak Butterfly Farm!
Jonathan located a Gulf Fritillary
caterpillar in the garden.
Behind the Garden
Lies The Farm
USDA Permits
Required for shipment of Release Butterflies
across state line.
Inside the Office
Latoya, from Jamaica,
interned at the farm.
Ester, Our Office Manager
Ester Poses for Wedding
Butterfly Release Photos
Ester back in the office
between photo shoots.
Videoing butterflies for
educational videos.
An American Painted Lady enjoys
fruit in the garden.
Inside the 'apartments', 12' x 12' screened
outdoor rooms with nectar plants.
Julia butterfly eggs laid
in the apartments.
Eastern Black Swallowtails laying
eggs in the apartments.
Monarch Butterfly nectaring on fruit
in the apartments.
Monarchs Butterfies nectaring on
Gatorade in the apartments.
The boys enjoy the large butterfly apartment.
Charlotte explains about
butterflies in the apartment
to a field trip class.
Chad explains the lifecycle
of butterflies to students
in the large apartment.
Visitors watch Monarch Butterflies lay eggs.
Monarch Butterflies are eager to
lay thousands of eggs!
Egg Laboratory
Monarch eggs are taken to
the laboratory and sterilized.
Because scales and germs
may be on the eggshell,
they need to be sterilized.
Monarch butterfly eggs waiting
for sterilization.
After sterilization, eggs
are placed in sterile totes
with fresh milkweed.
After growing for several days,
the caterpillars are moved
to the Larvae Room.
Stephen conducts a
tour of the Larvae Laboratory.
Monarch butterfly caterpillar molt
inside a rearing container.
Six greenhouses are full
of various host plants
to feed to the caterpillars.
Milkweed is cut and taken
into the laboratory to feed
to Monarch and Queen caterpillars.
Painted Lady Butterfly caterpillars
are raised in a separate laboratory.
Chrysalis are removed
from the Larvae Laboratory
several times a week.
Monarch chrysalises waiting
to be graded, sorted,
glued, and/or cooled.
Chrysalises are glued
to a paper towel covered board.
After gluing, chrysalises
wait in emerging containers
until the adult butterfly emerges.
Adult butterflies emerging
and drying their wings.
A few Monarch Butterfly scales
are removed to check for disease.
Charlotte checks the
scales in a microscope.
Monarch chrysalises intended for
breeding stock - glued
and waiting to emerge.
Empty chrysalis shells are
all that are left after butterflies
emerge and are released.
Rearing butterflies in
laboratories protects them from parasitiods
like this tachinid fly.
Latoya releases Monarchs
into the apartments.
Michelle collects
a Monarch Butterfly for shipment.
Timothy helps Mommy
collect butterflies.
Glassine envelopes hold
Wedding Release Butterflies snugly against bumps
and thumps of shipment.
Charlotte packs
butterflies for shipment.
An Accordion Box packed
with 24 Monarch release butterflies for a Wedding
are packed for shipment.
Michael 'helps' pack a
shipment under Caden's supervision.
Butterfly Garden Baskets
are shipped as a garden kit.
The grandchildren help
Ernest to load butterflies
into the UPS truck.
*
Field trips include an
interactive presentation.
Students see photos of hatching
eggs, predators, stinging caterpillars, and more.
All photographs on this site are copyright protected.
For permission to use any
photo, please contact Edith Smith at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm.
Butterfly Release companies located outside the
mainland United States.
Release Companies Outside the Mainland United
States
TO PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT US edith@buyabutterfly.com
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm Toll free 877-485-2458
12876 SW CR 231 Brooker, Fl 32622 Stephen & Edith Smith
Located 45 minutes from the Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
This butterfly website built with advice from Starting Dreams.
All photographs on this site are copyright protected.
For permission to use any photo, please contact Edith Smith at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm.
Butterfly Release companies located outside the mainland United States.
Release Companies Outside the Mainland United States
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm Toll free 877-485-2458 12876 SW CR 231 Brooker, Fl 32622 Stephen & Edith Smith
Located 45 minutes from the Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
This butterfly website built with advice from Starting Dreams.
Member of the
Association for Butterflies: Research, Conservation, Farming, and Gardening at www.forbutterflies.org
Member of the
Association for Butterflies: Research, Conservation, Farming, and Gardening at www.forbutterflies.org