Butterfly Farming and Habitat Conservation: Myths and Realities
Michael J. Weissmann, Kallima Consultants, Inc.
Raising butterflies for sale as live pupae for exhibits or as dead specimens for scientists, hobbyists, and artists has been a growing source of income during the past several decades for many families in tropical, developing countries. Although there are several success stories where butterfly farming and ranching has had a significant impact, many myths exist about the source of these butterflies and about the real role they play in habitat conservation. This paper will clarify the current realities of butterfly farming and conservation, and the role that this industry can potentially play in the future.

The Role of Butterfly Farms in Research, Conservation and Development in El Salvador, Central America
Francisco Serrano, Bioproductores de El Salvador
The public image of butterfly farms in El Salvador is rapidly changing from one of “an unsustainable curiosity” to that of “an interesting alternative of exportation based on local natural resources”. The research and conservation measures required in the process of obtaining butterfly farming which is sustainable in the long run is bringing to light many new facts that are of considerable interest to both the economic and scientific sectors in a country where conservation and development have too long been considered at odds. This program may yet contribute to bringing these two sectors much closer together.

From Our Gardens to Yours
Joris Brinckerhoff, Costa Rica Entomological Supply
Costa Rica is a world leader in purveying butterfly pupae to exhibits around the world. Many factors have converged to make this possible. Extraordinary diversity in climate and species, a supportive and flexible government, a first rate export infrastructure, and highly entrepreneurial farmers are among the many key success factors.
In turn, butterfly farming has provided a means for families to escape poverty and acquire a degree of control over their lives that would otherwise have been impossible. Similarly, hundreds of hectares are being conserved or reforested as a result of butterfly farming.

Local Butterfly Conservation and the Butterfly Conservation Initiative
Shelly Grow, Butterfly Conservation Initiative
Butterfly conservation is not just done by scientists in faraway places. All kinds of people make conservation happen right here, throughout North America. Habitat restoration is helpful at any scale, from the creation of prairie habitat for Ohio butterflies to butterfly gardens at local parks, zoos, and even backyards. Research, ranging from the development of captive breeding protocols to population monitoring, supports butterfly conservation. And the importance of educating people about butterflies and what they can do to help cannot be overstated. The Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI) helps get people involved in butterfly conservation and the results have been inspiring.

Metamorphosis: The Development of a Message
Esther C. van der Westhuizen, Butterfly World Tropical Garden
Butterfly World Tropical Garden is situated close to Cape Town, South Africa. Our educators have developed a program based on the need to counter negative attitudes and irrational fear many children have, especially the thousands who are growing up in underrepresented communities and who have little access to nature related activities. The success of this program lies in the believe that these children need to be taught the basic facts (i.e. identification, habits) first before taking on abstract concepts such as biodiversity, habitat protection, etc.

Chrysalis Parasitoids and Disease Trends -Year 2: Interpreting Worldwide Data for Farm Raised Butterflies.
Wayne Wehling, USDA APHIS PPQ
The USDA&Mac226;s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service requires butterfly house exhibits to submit annual reports for imported pupae. The report is expected to detail by supplier and species the number of pupae received, the number producing healthy butterflies, and the disposition for all others. These data place APHIS in a unique position for asking questions about this fascinating industry. This is the second year for summarizing these data. The data are more refined and accurate. How does 2003 compare to 2002? Who is the biggest, smallest, best, and worst?

Longevity Observations in a Tropical Conservatory: Are you getting Your Monies Worth?
John R. Watts, Butterfly Pavilion
With tightening budgets facilities displaying butterflies to the general public are constantly looking for ways to get „more bang for the buck. Most live exhibits utilize the same set of species and tell the public that the average life span is two weeks. Yet the question of longevity for each species has not been fully answered. The Butterfly Pavilion started marking butterflies to try to help answer this question. Over 4500 individual specimens among 28 butterfly species were marked over a 3-year period to answer: How long do butterflies live?

A Third Community For Exhibits?
Francisco Serrano, Bioproductores de El Salvador
Both butterfly farms and exhibits have concentrated on their subjects mainly as members of two generalized communities: butterflies of open meadows (or forest clearings) and butterflies of the forest floor. A further division of these into “flower feeders” and “fruit feeders” seem to complete this picture. However, the obvious is being disclosed in El Salvador, where not only is a “forest canopy flower community” being rapidly uncovered, but so is also the perspective of bringing this community down to the ground, with many interesting implications for breeders, exhibitors and researchers alike.

International Bug Club: United States and Papua New Guinea
Lou Perrotti, Roger Williams Park Zoo
For the past six years, educators from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington have hosted Bug Clubs. In 2003, Bug Club educators joined forces with zoo professionals from across the nation, to develop and then introduce a pilot of the International Bug Club for the first time in remote Papua New Guinea (PNG) schools. This paper will explain how the national curriculum was modified, test piloted and accepted by the teachers and students of PNG. It will also discuss the future of Bug Clubs in the United States, PNG and other remote parts of the world.

The Snail Heart as an Educational Tool
Dr. Larry Pomeroy, XYZEBRA
They are everywhere. Just backlight their shells in a room with lowered lights and graphically determine that high mass snails have lower heart beat rates and lower mass snails have higher heart beat rates. Snails that are awake have higher heart beat rates than those asleep. If you make snails exercise for a month, they have lower heart beat rates than ones that do not exercise. When a snail (hermaphrodite) wants to mate with another snail, it shoots a hexagonal love dart into that snail. Helix aspersa also have graveyards.

The Perils and Rewards of “Free Help”
Bob Merz, Saint Louis Zoo
Don&Mac226;t ever let anyone tell you that volunteers are “free help”. They are nothing of the sort, but they can be particularly rewarding for an invertebrate-oriented institution. This paper will introduce the extensive volunteer program in place at the St. Louis Zoo&Mac226;s Monsanto Insectarium: How they are trained. What they do. Why they do it. And how we keep them motivated. You’ll hear from the volunteers as well as the staff about the challenges and rewards of working within our uniquely organic system.

It’s Been a Long Time Coming - Audubon Insectarium Prepares to Open
Zack Lemann and Celia Whitman, Audubon Nature Institute
Many years ago Audubon Zoo contemplated building an insect exhibit on its grounds. Several years later, a site was considered for a new, free-standing natural history museum dedicated to insects and their relatives, but this location did not work out. Now, after nearly two decades, Audubon Nature Institute is preparing to open a 23,000 square foot facility that will include roughly 70 live animal displays, a free-flight butterfly display, thousands of preserved specimens, and lots of terrific interactive exhibits. Join us on a virtual tour of the Audubon Insectarium and learn about its creation, design, and plans.

Bug Dungeons - Carnivorous Plants in Insect Programs
Faith B. Kuehn, Delaware Department of Agriculture
Bondage, mind-altering substances, and deception are among the many ways carnivorous (insectivorous) plants capture the insects that they depend upon for survival. Many carnivorous plants are threatened by habitat destruction and plant poachers. The plight of carnivorous plants, along with their unique relationship to insects provide a great case study to educate the public about the importance of insects, conservation, and regulation.

Rearing and Displaying the Giant Rhinoceros and Flower Beetles
Paul Harrison, Montreal Insectarium
Rearing and displaying the giant rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Dynastinae) and Flower beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Cetoniinae)in laboratory for museum, education and scientific purposes with some notes on taxonomy of the subfamily and an overview of cultural entomology.

Biology, Husbandry and Display of the Honey Ant, Mermecocytus mendax
Randy C. Morgan, Insectarium, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Honey ants are highly effective educational displays due to their fascinating and unusual food storage and vital ecological roles. This paper summarizes their natural history, captive care and display.

Turning Empty Windows into Successful Invertebrate Exhibits
Jamie Sincage, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Since opening in 1998, Conservation Station at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has gone through several modifications, one being the moving of our exhibit bird and mammal rearing facilities to new off exhibit locations. By doing this it opened up two rooms with very large exhibit windows in our main exhibit hall. With the help from the Education department and the Walt Disney Imaginers, we were able to transform these two rooms into very successful exhibits. This presentation will cover the planning, preparing and lessons learned from opening these two exhibits.

The Murals of Bordano: an Italian Community at the Base of the Dolomites Dedicated to Butterflies.
Wayne Wehling, USDA APHIS PPQ
The International Conference of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers met most recently in November 2003 near Venice, Italy. Part of that conference was a visit to the town of Bordano which has a large butterfly house, butterfly hiking trails, and more than 200 mural on buildings throughout this Austrian style village.

The Ladybird Chronicles
Jane Davenport, Artomology
As Artist in Residence at Australia’s Wollongong Botanic Garden, Jane Davenport created a large-scale exhibition featuring the invertebrates that call the garden home, in an interactive installation that is now touring the nation and drawing huge crowds. Jane’s experience will leave you brim-full of new ideas for attracting funds, media attention and most importantly, people, to your institution.
(Jane is aka: The Artomologist, writes about insects in her ‘Sects in the City stories for Australia’s leading lifestyle magazine. Her work inspires love for invertebrates with new audiences.)