Ok, I need help with a Butterfly Ball

[TimSaupe]

I have just been asked to help with a Butterfly Ball benefit for a child that has cystic fibrosis.

I work at a garden center part time and they know me as the 'wildlife and native guy', so they have asked me to come up with something . . .

It's the 12th of June, and my first thought is to do a small container (so people could take it with them) butterfly garden.

I doubt I could come up with living butterflies . . . or would it be possible to get chrysalis or pupae or cats from somewhere and raise them to the point where I could have butterflies there?

Edit: Okay, I see I can get cats from MonarchWatch . . . what are the odds of timing it right to have butterflies available? And I guess I spoke too soon - I have found other sites that have adults . . .

I'd really like to smack this one out of the park for this child and make it something memorable . . . so I come before you looking for ideas.

Thanks!
Tim

[erictjohnson]

You could try the MonarchWatch website, I think they have an online store. I know they sell t-shirts and posters, they might have something you could use for decorations or prizes.

[Cirsium]

I doubt I could come up with living butterflies . . . or would it be possible to get chrysalis or pupae or cats from somewhere and raise them to the point where I could have butterflies there?

This is a popular and very attractive idea, but it has some drawbacks. Here are the thoughts of some well respected butterfly experts on butterfly releases:
Butterfly Releases at Weddings - No!
Butterfly Releases: Action You Can Take

It's the 12th of June, and my first thought is to do a small container (so people could take it with them) butterfly garden.

I think this is a superb idea! People can have the pleasure and satisfaction of watching the butterflies in their own yards for many years to come. It's also very good for the butterflies. It's also an opportunity to connect more people with nature. and it gives you an opportunity to educate people about butterflies and native plants. I've always felt that passing along knowledge is one of the best gifts that you can give to someone.

[Calliandra]

Could you could pass out packets of "butterfly garden" native seeds for people to take home and sprinkle along the edges of their property or other semi-wild areas?

You also have enough time to start seeds if you'd like to send everyone home with a seedling plant to start their own butterfly gardens.

I've been to parties where a face painter placed little butterflies on children's faces, arms, and hands (children chose colors for wings). If you have a good painter the butterflies are really cute!
How to apply a face paint butterfly | Video « Wonder How To
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H7-xFwACWIY/SazpaDDsHkI/AAAAAAAAApA/BVy2wBHuVUA/s1600-h/Favorite-ology-+Face+Paint+Image-+Butterfly.jpg

Also some face painters will create a huge butterfly effect on a child's face, where the wings spread over the cheeks and eyes. Effect can be kinda creepy IMHO if overdone, but to each his own....
Butterfly Face Painting
Butterfly face painting - 2003

Butterfly tattoos are fun too. They can be applied at the party in lieu of face painting, or handed out as party favors. Dover publishes little books of tattoos that we've used before:
Butterfly Tattoos

You could also send each family home with a small book or handout about the best native butterfly plants for your area. In my area, the Dept of Conservation has nice publications for free-- just have to order a little in advance for larger numbers.

Do you have an entomologist friend who could set up a table to talk about butterflies, maybe bring in a chart or specimens? Even if you are an expert yourself, you'll probably be pretty busy the night of the event.

There are tons of butterfly-themed bric-a-brac out there. Everything from cheap jewelry to light-up antennae to suncatchers to mesh wings. The Oriental Trading Company is the go-to place to buy kids' party items cheaply and in bulk. They show 223 butterfly-themed items in their catalog right now:
Oriental Trading Company
Be sure to use a coupon if you order from the Trading Company:
Oriental Trading Company Coupon Codes - all coupons, discounts and promo codes for orientaltrading.com

I've also seen easy birthday cakes created from trimmed half-circle cakes for the wings and a twinkie for the thorax and abdomen, using licorice strings for antennae... depending on the number of people, maybe your center could create a table of these in different wing colors? The cake part would be fairly easy for volunteers to bake, though you'd need an experienced decorator to ice them.

Large groups will often have storytellers come in- I can't think of an Anansi story involving a butterfly off the top of my head, but there probably is one. If the budget won't permit a storyteller, a volunteer can man a storycorner station where he/she reads butterfly-themed books aloud-- all you need is a chair for the reader (rocking chairs look best) and a quiet place with a rug on the floor.

Lots of craft and education ideas have been created for butterflies. For example:
http://www.puppet.org/pdf/Butterflie...yGdCURRENT.pdf

Butterfly parties are very popular with younger girls, so the theme has been thoroughly mined by others. Here are some more ideas:
Butterfly Party - Birthday Party Ideas


Have fun!

[TimSaupe]

Originally Posted by Cirsium

This is a popular and very attractive idea, but it has some drawbacks.

Hmm - there are some valid arguments here that I had not thought of. My initial enthusiasm may have gotten the best of me. I had only thought to use OH native species . . . I think that if I were to go this route I will have to be sure I know what I am doing and where the animals are coming from.

Thanks for the links.

[TimSaupe]

Wow - thanks Calli! -

I think I need to know more about what this 'Ball' is going to be . . . the garden center that is hosting it is not your typical garden center. It is a year old and $4 million went into it. So I wonder if it is going to be more 'high brow'.

I had thought live butterflies at first because it would add such wonder to an event . . . whereas giving a talk or demo on native butterfly plants may bore some of these kids to death (sadly).

Just a thought - if sending around monarchs is such a bad idea why does MonarchWatch do it? I would think they wouldn't send cats out if it was so detrimental.

I am very thankful to have all of you to bounce ideas off of and to share knowledge. Thanks!

[MrILoveTheAnts]

For live butterflies you could try that toy http://www.amazon.com/Certificate-for-Live-Butterfly-Garden/dp/B0014AJGBY/ref=sr_1_8/187-8105486-5765355?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1266693753&sr=1-8. It's actually that crazy cylinder net thing that you buy to house butterflies. The thing is the caterpillars are not included and require you to pay money (I think $2 or something cheap plus shipping) and they send you 5 Painted Ladies. You could try ordering a few of these a week or two apart so you sure to get a generation for your event. If it's in the day time you could host a releasing of the butterflies.

The other option might be the Tobacco/Tomato Horn Worm. Some Pet Stores that supply Lizard food sell these. They're a $1.50 though and gardeners who grow tomatoes might recognize them. However, store bought caterpillars like this are fed a special feed and thus don't get the normal pigments they pick up from the host plant. So they are a neat electric blue color. As they feed on the host plant, tobacco, tomato, and I think egg plant. They'll green right up. (They do crap a lot though which is something to keep in mind.) You could buy a bunch of these last minute and have them crawling on a plant. Guests might appreciate the color as they would stand out from the plant.

Tobacco Horn Worm actually turns into a Sphinx Moth, aka Hummingbird Moth but I don't know if it's possible to raise these from store bought caterpillars. The person I spoke with at the pet store here said they simply die in captivity when it comes time to make a crystals. Those weren't given a host plant to feed on though.