Butterfly Releases
Family members can release butterflies as a unique, symbolic and personal way to commemorate the passing of a loved one… special memories that last forever.
Releasing butterflies can add a unique and memorable touch to a funeral or memorial service. The butterfly has long been symbolic of freedom, love and new life or the beginning of a new journey, so it is only a natural that the idea be extended to a funeral or memorial service to add a unique and memorable touch. Butterflies flying free can represent the “setting free of the spirit” so releasing butterflies is seen as a reflective, yet uplifting, experience.
Butterfly Releases Australia breeds butterflies for use around the country at special occasions, be it a wedding or a corporate event or a funeral / memorial service. Peace of Mind took the opportunity to find the answers to a few questions from one of the company's directors, Minette Collins.
When did Butterfly Releases begin?
After a lifelong love for butterflies together with numerous years of research and development including training in the USA, we established our butterfly farm in 1998 following which we officially launched “Butterfly Releases” at the beginning of 2002. It was at this time that we commenced wider promotion of the availability of butterflies for release at all of life's occasions - ranging from wedding, christenings to funerals and memorials.
Who are the owners of the business?
The business is a mother and daughter team. My mother Anne Collins and I are both Directors and “Butterfly Breeders”.
How did you get into the butterfly release business?
We always loved butterflies and when we saw the idea of releasing them on special occasions during a visit to America, we fell in love with the idea of breeding butterflies and decided to develop our own farm. Releasing butterflies has been popular in America for over 12 years now, with over 150 butterfly farms across the USA.
When did you go to USA and on what occasion did you first see butterflies released?
Friends introduced the idea of releasing butterflies to us when we were visiting the USA back in the early 1990's (can't remember exactly when). They knew how we loved butterflies and that Anne, in particular, was very much into gardening/horticultural activities. They told us how they had recently seen butterflies being released at a wedding and thought it was such a beautiful touch and asked us whether we had seen this before. We had not heard of this amazing idea and upon our return to Australia we researched whether butterflies were available for release here. We discovered that there was no business at that time offering butterflies in Australia and a business idea started to develop.
Did you immediately think of creating a business here, or did the idea grow on you?
Anne was immediately taken with the idea of establishing a business here in Australia. I was working as a Commercial Taxation Lawyer and, although I thought it was a wonderful business idea, was quite focused on my professional career. After many years of university, completing a Bachelor of Law and then a Master of Law, putting your most into a career of this nature can make one rather focused. However, the idea of the butterflies stayed in my mind, and then one day (at least a year or more after knowing of the idea of breeding and releasing butterflies) I was talking with mum (Anne) on the phone and I said to her (can't remember why really) that I was still thinking of how much I thought the idea of developing a butterfly business would be great and that I think she should pursue it more and that I could help her set the business side of things up. Well, that was the idea initially, however it did not take too long before I was so absorbed and passionate about developing this new and exciting business that I decided to ‘change careers’ and leave my law position to focus fully on the butterfly business.
Where do the butterflies come from?
We breed our butterflies on our butterfly farm. All our butterflies are bred in their natural environment, we use no artificial heating or food, to ensure that following the release the butterflies can safely continue their lifecycle back out in the natural environment. We have special breeding enclosures to protect the caterpillars from predators and disease.
What type of butterflies do you breed?
We breed the Monarch butterfly (also called the ‘Wanderer’). Monarch butterflies are beautiful vibrant golden orange and black; they are native to all areas of Australia so after the release they will happily continue their lifecycle. The Monarch butterfly is also the longest living butterfly; they will live for several months, helping to replenish the depleting butterfly population. The Monarch butterfly is also a very graceful flying butterfly that is not afraid of humans, therefore upon release they tend to delicately float amongst family and friends, quite often coming to rest on close-by people and flowers before continuing on their way. Being so large and beautiful they make for a spectacular release.
What kind of training and research did you have to undertake? For instance, did you have to find the most suitable butterfly for Australian conditions? Did you experiment with others?
We attended a number of training programs in the USA, which were operated through the International Butterfly Breeders Association. This training provided the basics for ‘commercial butterfly breeding’, but then it was up to us to adapt the breeding techniques to suit Australian conditions (i.e. different weather and environmental factors). We did research breeding different butterflies and their suitability for releasing. We found that many other butterflies were not as ‘people friendly’ nor did they fly as gracefully as the Monarch. It was also important to consider environmental factors such as what butterflies were native, what part did they lay their eggs on (i.e. were they considered a pest), etc.
Anne, in particular, leads our breeding operations and has developed such a high level of expertise in this field she is now a Board member of the International Butterfly Breeders Association.
What plant does the monarch caterpillar eat?
It's called Asclepias, also commonly known as “Milkweed” or “Swan plant”. We grow all our plants especially on our farm.
As a “butterfly breeder” what does your day generally involve?
As all butterflies start their lifecycle as a caterpillar a big part of looking after the daily running of our farm is ensuring all our caterpillars are happy. As we are taught as children - “the very hungry caterpillar” is true! The main activity of a caterpillar is to eat, so it is important that sufficient food is provided for all the caterpillars at all times. The caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly only eat the leaves from one specific type of plant. Therefore, another significant aspect of our farm is growing the plants to feed to caterpillars. It is also a daily task to ensure that all the breeding and growing areas of our farm are clean and fresh, otherwise the caterpillars can get sick. The actual breeding of the butterflies is just one aspect of our business. We then have the office and customer service aspects to take care of - ranging from customer enquires through to processing and tracking new orders through to actually delivering the butterflies to our customers on their special day. We have a lovely team who work with us.
Releasing Butterflies ~ How Many & How Does it Happen?
How many butterflies are released depends on personal preference and budget. The choice of how many butterflies may also be determined by the release method the family wishes to use ~ the butterflies can be released using a choice of two different release methods: Release Method 1 ~ Individual Butterfly Release Triangles. Family members and friends may “send their love on the wings of a butterfly” as they each release their own individual butterfly ~ a very touching and personal experience. Each triangle may contain a personalised inscription, either a name/date or small personalised message.
Our Individual Butterfly Release Triangles are miniature triangular boxes especially designed to safely hold a single butterfly in their natural resting position.
Release Method 2 ~ Butterfly Release Box. Alternatively, the family may choose a mass release of butterflies from one or more Butterfly Release Boxes ~ one dozen, two dozen, three dozen, 100…or more butterflies naturally resting inside an elegantly decorated release box(es). Open the lid and fill the sky with beautiful butterflies.
What about the Welfare of the Butterflies?
Our release packaging has been especially designed for the welfare of our butterflies. As butterflies are cold-blooded, our packaging is especially designed, containing its own cooling to keep the butterflies cool and dark, the butterflies then go into a natural hibernation-type sleep. Prior to the release as the butterflies are in natural hibernation they are in a reduced metabolic state and are not stressed or harmed in any way. Experience matters in this specialised area. We proudly offer the highest level of experience available in Australia and guarantee our butterflies will always be healthy and vibrant ~ 100%.
What does it Cost?
We happily cater for any number of butterflies and in any combination of release packaging as personally desired. All our pricing is based on the number of butterflies to be released. Prices start from around $70.
What is the availability of butterflies?
In appreciation of the fact there is limited notice involved with the planning of a funeral service we continually breed butterflies to fulfill orders on short notice. Availability is also seasonal ~ butterflies are not generally available from the start of June through to the start of September. As we breed our butterflies in their natural environment we do not breed during these winter months.
How are they delivered?
There are two options for delivery:
Option 1. Personal Delivery: Personal delivery by a member of our team to a metropolitan address. Personal delivery can occur either directly to the location of the funeral service at a specified time prior to the commencement of the service or to one of your offices at an earlier arranged time.
Option 2. Express Courier Delivery: For areas outside the Metro area it is possible for our butterflies to be delivered via express priority courier. In which case the butterflies will arrive the day prior to the service and our protective Individual Release Triangles hold them in a safe hibernational sleep overnight.
What is the best time to release them?
For Cremations ~ the release generally occurs after the service as family & friends gather outside the chapel. For Burials ~ the release generally occurs at the graveside. The release should occur at least 1 hour prior to sunset to allow the butterflies time to find food and shelter for the evening. Butterflies should never be released at night; they naturally rest at this time.
Can you describe one release you witnessed which you found particularly joyful or beautiful?
One release that I recall as being particularly touching was a wedding at a lavender farm, the ceremony took place in the gardens following which individual butterflies were handed out to all guests, the bride herself then read out a reading that she had written inviting the guests to join them as husband and wife in the release the butterflies, the reading discussed the special symbolism that butterflies had to her. In particular, the bride had lost her grandfather and she dedicated the release of the butterflies to both the new journey of her life starting with her husband and also as a special remembrance of her grandfather. As the bride shed a little tear, she asked all the guests (over 120) to each release their butterflies as they the bride and groom each released theirs. Each guest folded upon their special individual release triangle and to their amazement out flew a beautiful butterfly - resulting in amazing flutter of butterflies all around. To make the experience even more special the butterfly that the bride released flew slightly above her and then turned around and came back to land on her for a few moments before continuing on its way. This provided the lovely opportunity for some beautiful photos. The bride also told me later that she felt that the special moment with the butterfly coming to land on her was her grandfather being with her in a symbolic way on her wedding day and that it was something she would carry with her forever. To share such special memories with people is truly touching.
In relation to a funeral service - I was touched particularly by a ‘Thank You’ we received from a family who released our butterflies - this is what they said:
“I wish to send a short email to express our delight in your service. My young niece passed away a couple of months ago and we were blessed to have made use of your butterfly release service during the funeral. The thrill of seeing joy return to faces of my sister, brother-in-law and their older daughter after an emotionally draining period of time will remain with us forever. The butterflies added such a wonderful element to the service. They were bright, large, friendly, and flittered around the guests for some time.
How lovely it was to see a life that was so short and filled with difficulty remembered by such a beautiful event. Thankyou.”
A common element to the lovely feedback we receive is that the butterflies “were breathtaking and provided a joyous and touching moment to an otherwise sad occasion”, “added a somewhat bright and cheery distraction from our burdens”, “everyone was quite taken with the moment”… To me, butterflies symbolise all things special and magical. To see them being released, together with the emotions of the occasion is a truly moving experience.
What have been the most satisfying aspects of developing the business and operating it now, as far as you are concerned?
I have found it very rewarding to introduce a completely new and unique idea to Australia, whilst developing a business completely ‘from the ground up’ has also been challenging yet very satisfying. In relation to the on going operating of the business, the wonderful part of our business is sharing the beauty of butterflies with others. It is a real delight when we receive lovely photos and comments back from couples that have released our butterflies on their special day - it is really touching to hear the beautiful experiences they share with us. We have also had the highlight of being nominated and winning the ‘Special Wedding Services’ category in the annual Australian Bridal Industry Awards for service excellence. This award is based on votes received from customers following their wedding day. Last year we won the award in Brisbane for Qld, in Sydney for NSW and in Melbourne for VIC - it was very exciting to win all three in a row and we feel very proud of the recognition given by this award.
How would you see your operation in environmental terms? Are you completely happy that it does not waste life or exploit these creatures?
The wonderful aspect of our business is that we are providing a positive impact on the environment. One of the important reasons for choosing to only breed Monarch butterflies was due to environmental factors - in particular they are native to all areas of Australia, they are not considered a pest (as their caterpillar will only feed on one specific plant found in the wild), they are also the longest living butterfly specie. Therefore, following the release, Monarch butterflies will happily find their natural habitat in any area around Australia where they will continue their natural lifecycle of several months. Sadly we are seeing less and less butterflies in the environment; this is mainly due to humans destroying their habitat and the use of pesticides. Releasing Monarch butterflies assists to replenish the depleting butterfly population. We also are proud of the strong ethics and practices under which we operate our business ensuring the welfare of our butterflies is always of highest priority - hence at no time are our beautiful butterflies exploited.
Where can we find out more information on releasing butterflies?
We have a whole range of further information about our butterflies, including pricing and ordering on our website.
Common Butterfly Myths
Butterflies only live for a day or a week: False. Monarch butterflies live for up to 6-9 months!
It is not safe to touch the wings of a butterfly: False. Monarch butterflies are not afraid of humans and are safe to touch; they do not have ‘powder’ on their wings that people commonly think will come off if you touch their wings. We encourage people to touch the butterflies if the opportunity arises ~ this is a unique experience and the butterflies will safely fly away and continue their lifecycle!