On a Lighter Note
FWC and partner agencies release rare butterfly caterpillars upstate to help bolster populations
Butterflies and other pollinators are a special interest of mine, so much so that in an earlier job at a very exclusive Country Club in Vero Beach, I got to design a butterfly garden costing $250,000, partnering with Disney’s Conservation Fund.
The funny thing is, that couldn’t have been farther from what I did at the Club as the Communications Coordinator. It’s just I was the only one that knew anything about them and the task got delegated to me.
So when I saw this from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, I thought I would share.
The Frosted Elfin butterfly was once prolific in north Central Florida, but pesticides and development have taken their toll.
However, the State and its partners developed a captive breeding program that is allowing them to release elfin caterpillars in elfin-less parts of Florida.
With programs like this for rare species like the elfin, the Miami Blue and Schauss’ swallowtail, there may be hope yet.
An interesting success story is the Atala butterfly. The species was thought to be extinct because its favorite host plant in the wild — coontie — was over harvested as food in Latin and West Indian cultures.
But it soon became a popular landscaping plant and was imported from the tropics literally by the ton. And fortunately there were hitchhikers — Atala caterpillars.
As coontie rose in popularity and established itself in the wild, Atala populations have grown to where it is fairly plentiful.
If this interests you, I highly suggest you visit the Key West Butterly Observatory. It is a unique opportunity to learn about butterflies and ornamental moths in what has become a world class attraction. My
We are very lucky to have it in our little town.