The Butterfly Farm of Familia Otárola

This is the last article in the series by Life Sciences Volunteer Terry Pagos about her visits to butterfly farms in Costa Rica with her host, Paola Vargas Salas, Export Manager of Costa Rica Entomological Supply (CRES).

The farm of the Otárola family is located in Guácimo, one of the finest agricultural regions in Costa Rica. This area is known for its cattle, corn, pineapple, and banana plantations. The Otárola family first met CRES founder Joris Binckerhoff in the early 1990s and began raising the native Caligo (Owl) butterflies for CRES. From that beginning, the family studied other species and was soon permitted by the Costa Rican government to farm other butterfly pupae for export. Today, they raise approximately 20 different butterfly species in more than 40 nurseries on their farm. On the 700-hectare farm they allocate 3 hectares to raising butterflies and 3 hectares to raising flowers, a new industry. The rest of their farm is devoted to cattle.

When we arrived at the Otárola family butterfly farm, Odir and his sister Elsa took us out to the gardens to show us the process. All the butterfly larvae are raised in host plant filled nurseries, large and small structures of netting that protect the caterpillars from predators. Inside a large nursery, we walked among host plants and trees watching several species of larvae busily chomping away on the leaves.

When a caterpillar is ready to pupate, it becomes zombie-like - a walker. It closes its mouth and no longer eats. Then during the nighttime, it climbs up the tree trunk to escape danger looking for a safe place to pupate.

We watched Odir climb up a ladder to collect the “zombie” Morphos and take them back to pupating cabinets in their workshop. Because the Morpho caterpillar has hairs that cause allergic reactions on some people's skin, collecting these critters is an unpopular job.

Some species of caterpillars may be placed in cabinets with foliage to await pupation. For the Morphos, the Otárolas place large screens in the bottom of the cabinets for the caterpillars to eventually settle on and pupate. The screens prevent the pupae from getting deformed or clumping together. They also allow the pupae to make an ample amount of silk – something pupae pinners appreciate. We watched Elsa make quick work, harvesting the Morpho pupae off the screens.

Over the years, the Otárola family learned that smaller nurseries are less expensive to maintain and generate better product. Butterfly farming is an industry that is still developing processes and seeking efficiencies. Furthermore, farmers are very aware of changes in the climate and how those changes can affect their animals and insects. Two years ago, they experienced a cold snap between 12ºC and 14ºC, causing serious losses. While we were visiting, the region was experiencing rising temperatures and very little rain. Too warm weather impacts the growth of the necessary foliage for larvae. And yet, too much rain can prevent butterflies from successfully laying eggs.

We left our tour with an appreciation of all the effort and passion that goes into producing butterfly pupae for the enjoyment of our guests at Pacific Science Center. We sincerely thank the kind and generous people we met at the butterfly farms and we’re especially grateful to our friend and host Paola Vargas Salas. Her warm hospitality and tireless enthusiasm for this industry was invaluable to our understanding the intricacies of butterfly farming. And we would have been helpless without her excellent translation. Thanks, Pao!


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A Visit to Jardín Ecológico Pierella

This article is a continuation of the previous post by Life Sciences Volunteer Terry Pagos about her visit to butterfly farms in Costa Rica with her host, Paola Vargas Salas, export manager of Costa Rica Entomological Supply (CRES).

While doing Lepidoptera research for the Natural History Museum in Costa Rica over 20 years ago, William Camacho Mendez met CRES founder Joris Brinckerhoff. Their mutual interest in butterflies started William’s career as a butterfly farmer in the mid-1990s.

With the help of a grant from the World Wildlife Fund and a small plot of land from his brother, William was able to start his butterfly farming business. Each year after sending money to his mother, William would buy a little more land.

Today, the grounds of Jardín Ecológico Pierella total over 40 hectares in the Sarapiquí lowlands of Heredia Province. With his wife Crystal Barrantes Guillen, William is using his pupae sales to shape Pierella into an ecotourism destination. Little by little they are transforming former cattle pastureland back into forest.

After a welcoming lunch, William showed us his butterfly nurseries. Large netted tents filled with host plants are constructed below a tall forest canopy. Within these tents are specific butterfly species raised under permit from the Costa Rican government. Isolation in these tents protects the butterflies from predators and viruses.

When the caterpillars pupate, the chrysalises are easily collected, placed in a transporting case, and taken to a nearby drop spot for pick-up by one of CRES’s drivers. The distance between CRES and Pierella is over 100 kilometers but takes more than 2 hours when traffic is moving well.

Besides raising butterflies, William’s passion is his conservation garden. While walking his grounds, we viewed frogs, iguanas, lizards, sloths, bats, and many species of birds. Peccaries, rescued parrots, and a young boa constrictor are also on display. Native flowers and plants grow around the property. Sugarcane and cacao can also be found. Education and conservation is their priority.

We were very welcomed at Jardín Ecológico Pierella and left with an inspiring appreciation of their work and vision. Anyone wanting to explore a well-kept tropical habitat and educational environment should consider a stop at William and Crystal’s garden paradise.

In the final blog post about our Costa Rican trip, we will visit a larger family-run butterfly farm operated by the Familia Otárola, also in the Caribbean lowlands.


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Butterflies from Costa Rica

Almost every week this blog publishes a “Fresh Sheet” – a list of pupae we receive from distant countries to display in our Tropical Butterfly House. We know what happens after the pupae arrive but what happens before the pupae are shipped to Seattle?

Recently, Life Sciences Volunteer Terry Pagos went to Costa Rica for a birding expedition. Before her trip, she met up with Costa Rica Entomological Supply (CRES) Export Manager, Paola Vargas Salas, who graciously gave her a tour of CRES and introduced her to two butterfly farms in Costa Rica’s humid Caribbean lowlands. This is the first of three stories about what she learned.

To my surprise, butterflies for export are neither free-ranged nor factory farmed. Butterfly farming is a ecologically sustainable industry that not only benefits the economy but also educates the public about a beautiful biological system. Just as Pacific Science Center is required to have federal permits controlling the species we can fly in our Tropical Butterfly House, Costa Rica regulates butterfly farmers and issues permits that control the propagation and sale of butterfly pupae in Costa Rica.

Butterfly farms may only cultivate native endemic species. Frequent inspection by the agricultural authorities assures the exporter, CRES, that the butterfly trade is legal, healthy, and sustainable and that the butterfly farmers are adhering to the rules. Weather controls the availability and viability of butterfly populations. If it’s too dry, there won’t be enough food for the larvae and butterflies won’t lay eggs; too much rain, and the eggs won’t survive. Often, the rainy and dry seasons are inconsistent with pupae export demand.

Located near the international airport just outside of San José, Costa Rica, CRES is the central pupae collection hub for 80 unique butterfly farms that produce up to 8,000 pupae a week for distribution to 120 clients worldwide. Costa Rica is approximately the size of West Virginia, but more mountainous, and species distribution varies among the country’s twelve microclimates.

CRES keeps drivers busy picking up pupae from distant butterfly farms two- to three-times a week. Because most pupae will mature within 7 to 12 days, time is an important factor.

When the farmers’ boxes of pupae arrive at CRES, the packers carefully inspect and select pupae to send to their clients. The packers review a master order form and try their best to fulfill each client’s requests.

Every individual pupa is carefully examined for damage, parasitoids, disease, and viability. Then the pupae are packed for shipment to butterfly gardens in museums and science centers all over the world.

In addition to the packing and shipping facilities, CRES maintains an outdoor, enclosed butterfly garden that can be visited by appointment. The plants and flowers are the lush host plants that native butterfly species require.

Groundskeeper, Eduardo, displays pupating boxes that he maintains for caterpillars. These boxes serve a similar purpose to the Emerging Window and allow butterflies to complete metamorphosis in safety from predators and adverse weather. Butterflies from his collection are raised only for the CRES display garden.

After visiting the CRES distribution center, the next step was to visit two of the suppliers – the butterfly farmers themselves. Stay tuned for next blog post; a visit to Jardín Ecológico Pierella, a butterfly farm in the Caribbean lowlands where the owner is expanding his business into an educational garden for ecotourism.

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Fresh Sheet – December 2, 2011

With this week’s pupae shipment from Costa Rica, we received the above photo and the following note:

Today Ily made our ¨pasito.¨ It is in the entrance to our facilities. I think she really enjoys making it! It is very traditional to set the ¨pasito¨ at home or work.

Best,
Paola Vargas Salas
Costa Rica Entomological Supply

20 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
02 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
27 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
34 - Danaus plexippus (The Monarch)
07 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
16 - Eryphanis polyxena (Purple Mort Bleu Owl)
17 - Greta oto (Glasswing)
49 - Hamadryas feronia (Variable Calico)
26 - Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
07 - Heliconius cydno (Cydno Longwing)
64 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
57 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
24 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
03 - Heraclides anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
33 - Hypna clytemnestra (Silver-studded Leafwing)
42 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
20 - Myselia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
07 - Parides iphidamas (Transandean Cattleheart)
24 - Siproeta stelenes (Malachite)

Total = 479

“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.


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Fresh Sheet – January 29, 2011

“Sunset from the Mountain” by Paola Vargas Salas, Costa Rica Entomological Supply

Check out this week’s pupae – lots of them – from Costa Rico. Included are lots of “tinies”: Greta oto and Eurema boisduvaliana, whose name is longer than the wingspan of the adult butterfly.




Costa Rico

10 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
10 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
21 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
18 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
41 - Danaus plexippus (The Monarch)
43 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
02 - Eurema boisduvaliana (Boisduval's Yellow)
49 - Greta oto (Glasswing)
37 - Heliconius cydno (Cydno Longwing)
14 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
05 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
54 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
14 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
20 - Heliconius sara (Sara Longwing)
14 - Heraclides anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
45 - Hypna clytemnestra (Silver-studded Leafwing)
48 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
02 - Myselia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
17 - Papilio polyxenes (Black Swallowtail)
47 - Phoebis philea (Orange Barred Sulfur)
55 - Siproeta stelenes (Malachite)
04 - Tithorea tarricina (Cream-Spotted Clearwing)

Total = 570

“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.


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Costa Rica Entomological Supply

Ever wonder who are the people responsible for producing some of the pupae you see in the Tropical Butterfly House emerging window?

Here is a photo of the staff at Costa Rica Entomological Supply which they sent to us recently.

We always enjoy the connection with people throughout the world who share our interest in butterflies and their habitats. For more information about CRES, their history, their seminars and educational resources go to: http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr/costa-rica-entomological-supply/index.html

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