“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.
El Salvador
40 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
15 - Colobura dirce (Mosaic butterfly)
30 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
08 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
14 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
100 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
25 - Myselia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
40 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
20 - Papilio pilumnus (Three-tailed Swallowtail)
05 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)
Los Angeles
17 - Charaxes brutus (White-barred Charaxes)
02 - Charaxes candiope (Green-veined Charaxes)
04 - Charaxes castor (Giant Charaxes)
07 - Charaxes cithaeron (Blue-spotted Charexes)
08 - Charaxes protoclea (Flame-bordered Charexes)
10 - Charaxes violetta (Violet-spotted Emperor)
22 - Danaus genutia (Common Tiger)
05 - Euphaedra neophron (Gold-banded Forester)
04 - Euxanthes wakefieldi (Forest Queen)
08 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
40 - Hypolimnas bolina (Great Eggfly)
14 - Papilio helenus (Red Helen)
20 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
20 - Papilio memnon (Great Mormon)
08 - Papilio nephelus (Yellow Helen)
14 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
19 - Papilio polytes (Polite swallowtail)
10 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
14 - Parthenos sylvia lilacinus (Blue Clipper)
04 - Parthenos sylvia philppensis (The Clipper)
Since when has Los Angeles had all these exotic butterflies?
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous, you just tapped into a very curious question. The butterflies listed under "Los Angeles" are really from around the world. A broker in the United States imports these butterflies and resells them to butterfly houses.
ReplyDeleteImporting pupae carries some risk. A few days' delay in a delivery, accidental mishandling or a fungus that harms pupae can damage a whole week's shipment. The broker assumes these risks - and guarantees very high quality pupae. We pay a little more for them, but we are assured of always having a baseline population of butterflies.
But we also love working with vendors around the world, and will always value the relationships with people in the countries where the pupae are farmed, and where these butterflies would be at home.
Getting the right balance is part of what makes this job so exciting.