Fresh Sheet – October 22, 2010

This week’s shipment is a confirmation that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reads our paperwork. The USDA detected a species that is not on our permit. They could have destroyed or turned back the entire shipment. Instead, they identified and remove the illegal species and sent the remaining pupae on to us.

Philippines

55 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
98 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
09- Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
98- Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
40 - Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
29 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
17 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
20 - Parthenos sylvia philippensis (The Clipper)
19 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
25 - Hypolimnas bolina (Great Eggfly)

Total = 410

“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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The Escape That Never Happened

Running a butterfly house is rewarding in so many ways, but keeping the little guys from escaping can be a real headache. Pacific Science Center maintains a permit with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which includes language describing the importance of containing our butterflies and outlining penalties for non-compliance. Butterflies from other habitats could disrupt native species or otherwise upset our local ecosystem, so aside from avoiding trouble, keeping them from escaping is simply good citizenship. We teach our guests to respect the environment and we want to do the same.

We periodically review the layout of our plants, the training we give our staff and the types of species we purchase, with the goal of making the butterflies in our exhibit happy to stay, while reducing their chances of getting out by accident.

Imagine our surprise while doing a walk around the perimeter of our campus the other morning. There on the glass wall above the door into the Ackerley Family Gallery, we saw a black and red butterfly basking in the morning sun.

Horticulturist Jeff Leonard saw it first. He had a moment of panic, and then got down to business, fetching a ladder while Life Sciences Manager Sarah Moore went for the telescoping net. The butterfly was safely captured and brought back indoors for identification.


That’s when we got our second surprise. Running through the species in our exhibit, it didn’t match up with anything. Furthermore, it looked strangely familiar. A few minutes thumbing through our beloved tome, “Lepidoptera of the Northwest” by Paul C. Hammond and Jeffrey C. Miller, revealed the truth. The butterfly was a Vanessa atalanta or red admiral. This species is native to the Pacific Northwest. It didn’t escape at all – it lives here.

We uttered a quick apology to the butterfly and sent it on its way. The question still remains – why was it sitting above the door into our exhibit? Perhaps it was trying to get in.


The photograph of the red admiral is in the public domain. Our photographer took the day off.
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Butterfly Census

Ever wonder how many butterflies made their home in the Tropical Butterfly House last year? Or how many pupae the Life Sciences Department placed in the emerging window? Can you guess how many different butterfly species we received in 2009?

Every year Life Sciences Manager Sarah Moore is required to provide the USDA with a document summarizing our data on pupae shipments. This information is carefully gathered by the staff each week as pupae are carefully inspected before placing them in the Emerging Window.


The 2009 census highlights are listed below:

Shipments received – 72
Different species received – 132
Pupae received – 24,578
Healthy butterflies released – 20,537
Parasitized pupae – 32
Percentage good emergence – 84%

Sarah credits her staff for the outstanding emergence statistics. “Eighty-four percent of pupae emerged as healthy butterflies, which is impressive considering that some shipments were delayed or arrived with problems. Staff really maximized the chances for every pupa to succeed. Their meticulous record keeping allows me to turn in data that I can be very confident is correct and thorough.”

So - Guess which species of butterfly is the most abundant in the Tropical Butterfly House? Frequent guests will easily recognize our beloved mascot, the Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides). We received 2,095 in 2009!

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USDA Inspection

On March 3, the Life Sciences staff meeting was interrupted by a walkie-talkie call from the receptionist. A government inspector was here to see the naked mole-rats.


Pacific Science Center’s Animal Care program maintains permits from two completely unrelated branches of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Our butterflies and some arthropods are permitted by the Plant Pest and Pathogen department. These animals are seen as possible threats to agricultural crops, and are monitored to prevent escapes.


Mammals, on the other hand, are under the jurisdiction of the Animal Care branch, which inspects mammal care facilities to make sure that animals live under adequate and humane conditions. This day, a USDA mammal care inspector arrived for an unannounced inspection of our naked mole-rat colony.


The mammal inspector looks at the animal’s housing. She is looking for signs that they have proper ventilation. Is food available to them at all times, or according to their species feeding habits? Is there water? In the case of the naked mole-rats, the answer is no. Our inspector needs to see evidence that we do not provide water because these animals are able to use the moisture in their food. Otherwise we can be cited for not providing for their needs.


Animals must be housed on surfaces that can be kept clean, and in enclosures that are safe from pests such as mice and ants. Our USDA inspector may ask for a closer look to see what measures we have in place to keep our animal’s housing clean – what disinfectants we use and our schedule for using them.


She checks the animals’ records. We monitor humidity and temperature twice daily and record weights, births, deaths and medical conditions of all the animals. The Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital provides a program of regular veterinary care and the invoices to prove it.


Inspectors want to see how food is stored and may ask how it is prepared. Our roots and veggies are kept in the refrigerator, and are peeled and diced before feeding. We mix nutritionally dense dough of baby cereal and ground rodent chow as a supplement.

At the end of the inspection, the USDA inspector sent us notification that we passed. “No non-compliance” was the complete text of our rating – the highest possible score!

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