“I got the idea at a job I had at an arboretum in Hawaii, where I
worked briefly as a tour guide,” she said.
“When I wasn’t giving tours I shared duties in the butterfly
conservatory, misting the butterflies and caring for new arrivals. It
was a real eye-opener to see the gold-flecked green gems produce a
beautiful monarch butterfly.”
Mrs De Graff said the farm raised monarchs to be released at weddings
and other special events.
“We hope to open it to the public one day and have weddings here (but)
we have a lot of work to do before that happens,” she said.
Dr Markus Riegler, of the University of Western Sydney Plants and the
Environment Centre, said “Obviously anything that raises awareness in
the community about the value of butterflies and other native insects
will have a positive outcome for biodiversity,” he said.
Mariposa Butterfly Releases will begin to branch out next year with
educational talks at local schools.
Customers can also buy a chrysalis kit and
watch the development process as a butterfly emerges from its cocoon.
All butterflies raised and released at the property are native to all
areas of Australia.
We named the butterfly farm, "Mariposa Butterflies" ~Mariposa means
'butterfly' in Spanish.
We hope we can share with you, the joy of replenishing the world's
diminishing butterfly population-specifically our Majestic Monarchs!
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